Topic: Technology
Improvements in networked communications technologies are beginning to make a significant difference in the resources available to help schools and school districts improve. Technologies provide vastly improved access to information resources, bridges across geographically dispersed communities of practice, and powerful new instructional tools for teachers and students alike.
The Adolescent Literacy Collaboratory is a year-long, job-embedded professional learning experience for middle school and high school teachers of math, science, social studies, and English/language arts. The Collaboratory combines an initial face-to-face institute with year-long online learning activities.
Web site: /Collaboratory
The Information Technology and Society Research Group at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA contracted with The Education Alliance to evaluate its year-one implementation of the Building Information Technology Skills (bITS) program, funded by the National Science Foundation's ITEST grant. bITS shared ITEST's overall goal to increase the number of students from under-represented populations pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
The Education Alliance conducted an applied research project on the design and evaluation of online seminars to allow in-depth learning about topics in elementary mathematics education. The project targeted teachers using Investigations in Number, Data and Space, a K-12 mathematics curriculum, and focused on issues of curriculum implementation.
The Development and Dissemination Schools Initiative was a five-year project of the New York City Board of Education's Office of English Language Learners and The Education Alliance at Brown University. Its goal was to help New York's English language learners (ELLs) acquire both English language and other skills and knowledge they needed to meet the New Standards that the Chancellor had established for all students in New York City.
GET City is a youth-based program implemented by Michigan State University’s Colleges of Education and Engineering. The program is funded through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) grant program. A two-year, year-round program, GET City supports youth in learning to use advanced information technology skills to identify, investigate, and model solutions to urban energy problems at the Lansing Boys and Girls Club. The Education Alliance is conducting an evaluation study which will examine implementation challenges and successes as an ongoing investigation of program activities.
The Knowledge Loom is an award-winning collection of best practices, narratives, and resources for school improvement. The Loom addresses topics of national interest such as improving literacy across the content areas, leadership structures, high school restructuring, and effective models of using technology in education. A companion guidebook, Using the Knowledge Loom: Ideas and Tools for Collaborative Professional Development, is a how-to resource of activities that uses The Knowledge Loom Web site content and online interactive tools to guide improved teaching and learning.
Web site: http://knowledgeloom.org
Microsoft's Partners in Learning (PiL) contracted with The Education Alliance and a partner to conduct an evaluation of the state of information and communications technology in education in the thirteen reporting countries, and the varying prevalence of different types of PiL activities.
The New York Comprehensive Center (NYCC) is one of 16 regional comprehensive centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education to support state education agencies in fulfilling the promises of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Headquartered in New York City under the leadership of RMC Research, NYCC is a partnership that has included the Alliance (2005-2010), Education Development Center, Learning Innovations at WestEd, and the United Federation of Teachers' Teacher Center. The mission of the NYCC is to develop the capacity of the New York State Education Department and its networks and agencies to assist districts and schools in improving achievement outcomes for all students.
Web site: http://nycomprehensivecenter.org
The Northeast and the Islands Regional Technology in Education Consortium (NEIRTEC) focused on helping educational leaders at the state, district, and school levels put technology to effective use in schools, placing particular emphasis on the needs of schools in underserved urban and rural communities. It was a collaboration of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), TERC, Learning Innovations at WestEd, and The Education Alliance at Brown University. It was one of the ten regional technology in education consortia funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
The Education Alliance is conducting an evaluation of The Coaching Cycle: An Interactive Online Course for Mathematics Coaches, awarded to EDC through the NSF Discovery Research program for the training and support of instructional coaching in K-8 mathematics. The goal of the project is to deepen coaches’ understanding of selected mathematical topics that are frequently problematic in K-8 instruction, while providing participants an opportunity to learn and practice content-based coaching skills in a collegial online community.
PRIMES is a three-year, federally funded Math Science Partnership (MSP) program of the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE). The goals of the PRIMES program are to increase the academic achievement of students in mathematics and science by enhancing the content knowledge and instructional skills of classroom teachers. Partnership between high-need school districts and the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty in institutions of higher education are at the core of these improvement efforts. The evaluation study of PRIMES, conducted by The Education Alliance, examines the implementation and impact of the program at each of three selected school districts.
Hezel Associates subcontracted with The Education Alliance to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of PBS's online teacher development program, TeacherLine.
The Education Alliance is leading evaluation efforts to assess the Rhode Island Technology Enhanced Sciences (RITES) program, a major statewide initiative focused on improving middle and high school science and mathematics education. In a $12.5 million award from the National Science Foundation Math & Science Partnership, the RITES program builds on extant initiatives across the state focused on inquiry-based science through a rollout of professional development, online resources, research-based content and partnered support. The evaluation design for the RITES program includes quasi-experimental approaches as well as qualitative data collection to continuously inform program staff on all aspects of program implementation and improvement efforts.
This project was a multi-site research project aimed at understanding how teachers who belong to study groups use on-line information and communication to build knowledge and support each other's work, improve instruction for diverse learners, and sustain the group for continued professional growth. This project built on findings from a previous research project on implementing standards in culturally diverse schools, and it used products developed by that project.
Support for Professional Learning focuses on developing tools and strategies for professional learning and addressing regional issues related to the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act. Our development work aims to provide high-quality opportunities for professional development in key content areas, such as adolescent literacy, elementary mathematics, and early foreign language study, with a focus on creating effective technology-based environments to support professional learning.
Through funding from the National Science Foundation, Brown University has established research fellowships for six undergraduates to conduct summer research beginning in 2008. The award is part of an ongoing effort to train undergraduate students in modern research techniques at the intersection of mathematics and the life sciences. UMB faculty and The Education Alliance have designed an evaluation to provide formative program feedback to ensure the success of students in the fellowship program.
- All Projects
- Assessment & Standards
- Community & Family
- Curriculum & Instruction
- Equity & Diversity
- Leadership
- Literacy
- Professional Development
- Rural Schools
- School Reform
- STEM*
- Technology
- Urban Schools
*Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics
