Research for Action Roundup

RFA Roundup
Insights Into Action.

ICYMI: See What Happened at Our Allegheny County Teach-In on Educator Diversity

Another successful RFA Teach-In is officially in the books. Held on March 19, 2024, at the beautiful August Wilson Cultural Center in Pittsburgh, “Wisdom to Action” was an event that brought together nearly 100 attendees, among them educators, students, community leaders, philanthropists, and policymakers, all focused on the urgent need to amplify the voices of Black teachers amidst a concerning decline in educator diversity in the region.

Research for Action Strengthens Leadership Team with New Appointments

Announcing New Research Leadership Team

We’re thrilled to announce Dr. Suzanne Delap and Kim Glassman have joined RFA as research directors, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to their roles. In addition, Dr. Alyn M. Turner has been named Interim Chief Research Officer.

"RFA is in an active period of transformation to enhance our effectiveness as a research organization. Welcoming Kim and Suzanne and having Alyn step up to the role of Interim CRO marks a pivotal step in this journey," said Kate Callahan, Ph.D., Executive Director of RFA. "The breadth and depth of their experience, along with their personal commitment to a just education system, will undoubtedly bolster our efforts to drive change and advance our mission."

Intern at RFA This Summer. Opportunities Inside.

We're seeking summer 2024 interns! Two teams are currently recruiting. Interns on our 21C evaluation team will primarily work with the quantitative team to clean and analyze program participation, survey, and educational data. Duties include data cleaning, merging, and analysis using the statistical software, Stata. Training in Stata is provided.

Our communications team intern will contribute to growing and executing RFA’s communications and outreach strategy. The selected intern will learn social media marketing, media relations, visual communication, along with the accompanying soft skills that make for a successful career in communications.

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Latest Projects, Research, Policy & Analysis

Value-Added Models in Teacher Evaluation and Development

This project is a research synthesis on the use of value-added models (VAMs) for identifying high-impact teachers and supporting teacher development and growth. Through a scoped review of the literature and background interviews with teachers, school, and district leaders, this study will provide foundational research on the practical applications of teacher value-added models, including how states and districts are using VAMs to improve teacher quality, educators’ experiences with VAMs, and the equity implications of using VAMs to identify high-impact teaching.

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Evaluation of the Catto Scholarship in Philadelphia

Through a lens of advancing racial equity in postsecondary experiences and outcomes, RFA is conducting an evaluation of the Catto Scholarship that addresses the following three aims: Contextualize the Catto Scholarship viz-a-viz comparable initiatives in Pennsylvania and the United States, both with respect to design and measures of success. Document early academic successes of the Catto Scholarship in terms of enrollment, retention, projected completion, or transfer. Identify opportunities for continued growth and partnership.

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Evaluating the Impact of the Teranga Academy Learning Model on Immigrant and Refugee Student Success

Undertaking a comprehensive five-year evaluation, this project assesses the efficacy of the Teranga Academy model, designed by Fugees Family, in supporting recent immigrant and refugee students within public middle and high schools. Named Teranga Academy, this competency-based and culturally responsive learning framework is implemented across various school districts nationwide. The evaluation comprises both an impact study and an implementation study. The impact study employs a quasi-experimental design to gauge the effect of the Teranga Academy model on academic outcomes and social-emotional learning among students.

Out-of-School Time Coordination: Infrastructure for Supporting Healthy OST Ecosystems

Recognizing the value of out-of-school time (OST) programs, U.S. cities across the nation have been working for years to coordinate OST efforts locally by creating city-wide OST systems.The OST Ecosystem study examines how these systems responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and the long-standing and new equity concerns, as well as the value of these responses to other system-level leaders, OST providers, and caregivers. The study aims to shed light on opportunities for future roles OST coordinating entities can play in fostering equity and resilience in their communities.

REVIEW

Audio Doc - Becoming a Community-Engaged Research Organization

We at Research for Action are committed to becoming a community-engaged research institution, with the goal of having our work be grounded in principles of community empowerment, collaboration, and social change within K-12 education. We were pleased to recently release our “Top 5 Insights” report, along with an audio-doc (listen with the link below), that chronicles this transformative journey, declares our intentions, and challenges the education research community to consider adopting this strategy.

LISTEN

Recent News

Black educators convene, strategize amidst departure of Black teachers in Allegheny County

Educators say action must be taken at the state and district levels to recruit and retain Black teachers, who research shows are leaving the classroom at rates far higher than their white peers. The call was relayed Tuesday at a gathering inside the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, where over two dozen Black educators from across western Pennsylvania gathered for a teach-in hosted by Research for Action.

Education leaders, advocates tackle ways to bolster number of Black educators in Allegheny County

The Upside-Down System: Inequity in Pennsylvania’s System of Public Education

Leaders from across the region need to elevate the voices of Black teachers as the number of educators of color in Allegheny County continues to decline, a panel of local experts and officials from Research for Action said during a Tuesday discussion on teacher diversity.

RFA at #AERA24

It’s a tremendous honor for our scholars to have multiple sessions at #AERA24, the world’s largest gathering of education researchers, which will take place in Philly April 11-14, 2024. Join us for conversations about education equity, out-of-school time, teacher diversity, cultural responsiveness, leadership, assessments, and more. Add these sessions to your conference schedule.

For Us, With Us, By Us: Research With Black Teachers by Black Teachers and Black Researchers | Fri, April 12, 4:55 to 6:25pm
Prioritizing Educator Diversity Research: A Journey of Reflection, Insights, and New Possibilities | Fri, April 12, 9:35 to 11:05am
Rebuilding the Educational Landscape: Unconventional Strategies and Traditional Measures in Educational Leadership | Thu, April 11, 12:40 to 2:10pm
Students and Assessment | Thu, April 11, 2:30 to 4:00pm
The Out-of-School-Time Sector: Alternative and Expanded Conceptualizations to Design, Analysis, and Evaluation | Sat, April 13, 1:15 to 2:45pm
Youth as Our "Present Already": Youth-Led Spaces at the Center of Advocacy, Research, Practice, and Design | Fri, April 12, 4:55 to 6:25pm

Also see our team at the Friday and Sunday Roundtables Sessions.

RFA AT AERA

About RFA

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Research for Action conducts research, evaluations, and technical assistance to improve educational opportunities and outcomes for all learners.

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Our researchers are experts in all areas of education research from preK-12 through postsecondary to workforce preparation and out-of-school time.

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