- Algebra Study:
We believe that because algebra instruction is directly connected to high stakes testing in mathematics, the superintendents chose a study of the effectiveness of algebra instruction across the metropolitan area as the most important of the priorities. This project was conceived as a means of exploring some of the challenges facing data collection and analyses across the multiple school districts and two states involved in KC-AERC as well as demonstrating to school districts the value of such research. For example, the analysis of assessment scores on the algebra strand is being conducted to provide comparative information within Missouri school districts and within Kansas school districts for the purpose of placing descriptions of algebra instructional/curricular practices in a context. Once this analysis has been completed, it might be possible to examine the assessment items used in each state’s assessment for the purpose of examining the challenges involved in comparing Kansas and Missouri assessment scores. Meetings with school district representatives conducted in June and September suggest interest in the project and have led to the identification of additional projects, the most notable being the assessment of “benchmarking” procedures used in several districts. The project is co-directed by Dr. Jacqueline D. Spears (K-State) and Dr. Mark Ehlert (University of Missouri-Columbia).
For more information, please contact Dr. Spears at jdspears@ksu.edu or Dr. Ehlert at EhlertM@missouri.edu.
- Collaboration in Development and Use of a Student-Level Longitudinal Database in Kansas City Area Districts:
Using statewide longitudinal data, the research team can produce increasingly reliable estimates of school level value-added for all schools in Missouri with students in grades 3-8. (High school value added measures are in development.) These data clearly show that some KC district schools have above-average levels of effectiveness, whereas others are less effective. However, the information on the key “treatment” variables – curricula, teacher qualifications, supplemental services, etc – reside in district data files. In this project the researchers will merge state wide data – which permits selection of comparison control groups – with individual district data, which permit more extensive assessment of student performance along with data on treatments and interventions.
Data is being collected to complete a parallel study with the state of Kansas and interested Kansas City metropolitan area districts.
For more information please contact Dr. Jay Scribner at ScribnerJ@missouri.edu, Dr. Mike Podgursky at PodgurskyM@missouri.edu, or Donna Ginther at dginther@ku.edu.
- Kansas City Teacher Labor Market Project:
All superintendents struggle with identifying an adequate supply of highly qualified teachers. This task is complicated by the fact that there are few reliable regional or national studies that document the number of new teachers receiving credentials, the distribution of teachers by profession, attrition of teachers from the workforce, and areas of short term and chronic need in the teacher workforce. These issues coupled with the annual yearly challenge of filling teaching vacancies in high-needs areas in the weeks prior to the beginning of the academic year probably prompted the superintendents to rank a study of the teaching workforce in the Kansas City area as the second most important research focus. The project is co-directed by Dr. Mike Podgursky (University of Missouri-Columbia) and Dr. Donna Ginther (University of Kansas).
For more information, please contact Dr. Podgursky at podgurskym@missouri.edu, Dr. Ginther at dginther@ku.edu or Sarah Frazelle at frazelle@ku.edu.
- Transition to Higher Education:
A third pilot research study grew out of the Consortium leadership’s desire to understand the dynamics of student transition from secondary education into the range of post-secondary educational opportunities in the metropolitan area. It is critically important for both K-12 schools and the regional higher education system to understand which of the students from our K-12 school environments are successfully making this transition, where they are choosing to obtain post-secondary training, and what factors increase the likelihood of student success in making the transition. While the educational fate of their students is important to the superintendents, it does not address any of the near-term problems of their districts and so was ranked of lower priority. The Consortium leadership felt that the direct relationship between regional economic development and the availability of a highly qualified workforce made this project a top near-term priority for our pilot studies. Currently KC-AERC is working with the Olathe School District and the North Kansas City School District on this project. The project is co-directed by Dr. Tamera Murdock (University of Missouri-Kansas City) and Dr. John Rury (University of Kansas)
For more information, please contact Dr. Murdock at MurdockT@umkc.edu or Dr. Rury at jrury@ku.edu.
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