Welcome to "Inside the Action." In this newsletter, we will share insights from a selection of RFA's current research and evaluation projects and potential impacts for advancing racial and social justice through high-quality education for all students, families, and communities. We will also share updates on our work to develop the field of community-informed education research and evaluation.
You can also visit our website at researchforaction.org and follow our social media channels for our most recent news.
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Personalized, competency-based learning can increase student agency, which is positively related to college and career outcomes |
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RFA partnered with KnowledgeWorks to conduct the first major study of district-wide implementations of personalized, competency-based learning across Arizona, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina. We share lessons learned on local adoption, student impact strategies, and field recommendations.
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Soaring cyber charter expansion harms PA district finances, while cyber charters negatively impact student academic growth |
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During the pandemic, cyber charter school enrollment in PA soared to the highest in the nation, with over $1 billion spent on cyber charter tuition. Our latest PACER brief examines the negative fiscal impact of this expansion and rising concerns about the quality of student learning.
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Case management is an effective high school dropout prevention strategy |
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RFA's evaluation of Congreso de Latinos Unidos' four-year high school dropout prevention program, Exitò, finds positive impacts on student graduation and on-track rates and adds to the body of evidence promoting case management as a dropout prevention strategy.
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Conducting a Teach-In on the need for more teachers of color |
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On April 23, RFA conducted our first Teach-In at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. This inaugural event was designed to bridge research and to bring community focus to the Need for More Teachers of Color. Nearly 100 community members, teachers, and advocates joined to learn more about our research and to hear from community champions like Dr. Camika Royal and members of the Center for Black Educator Development.
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Examining policy gaps in outcomes-based funding |
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Earlier this summer, the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners for an AERA-sponsored conference: Performance Funding in Higher Education: Connecting 40 Years of Policy, Research, and Practice. RFA joined in the theory-based dialogue, presenting on the landscape of equity premiums in outcomes-based funding models. Kate Callahan served on the conference planning committee and as a discussant.
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Dr. Lori Shorr, RFA’s board chair
RFA's Board of Directors welcomed Dr. Lori Shorr as its new Chair in late June. She succeeds Dr. James Davis, who served as Chair for over a decade. Learn more about Lori.
New team members
This past spring, RFA welcomed our new Chief Research Officer, Dr. Rayane Alamuddin, who oversees our research team and robust portfolio of projects. Dr. Gresham Collom joined our team as a postsecondary education policy researcher, focusing on policies impacting Indigenous students.
We’re hiring!
RFA is actively recruiting early career researchers with demonstrated experience in education or education policy. View these opportunities.
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