Region: Capital District

This report details the lessons learned through the Research-Practice Partnership between NYKids, Tech Valley High School (TVHS), Chatham Central School District (CSD), and the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The report, co-written by members of the collaborative, reflects on positive outcomes from the RPP, challenges team members faced, and future goals for improvement.

In this presentation entitled “Backbone Organizations for Improvement Research and Continuous Improvement Utilization: Opportunities and Challenges from New York State” NYKids Director and Associate Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership, Kristen C. Wilcox details the continuous improvement efforts made by NYKids and our partners across New York State.

Dr. Aaron Leo presented research from NYKids’ latest study of Adaptation and Innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic at the American Anthropological Association’s annual conference held in Toronto, Canada in November, 2023. The paper, co-written with Dr. Kristen C. Wilcox was entitled “Educators’ stress and emotional labor during the COVID-19 pandemic” and drew on data gathered among 88 educators across New York State. Dr. Leo delivered the paper alongside other researchers on a panel focusing on teacher and student agency during the pandemic.

NYKids team members Kristen C. Wilcox, Maria I. Khan, and Jessie Tobin presented this poster at the 2023 Carnegie Summit held in San Diego. The poster, titled “Addressing Differential Impacts of COVID via a National Research-Practice Partnership Network” outlines research improvement work NYKids has connected as part of a collaboration with Tech Valley High School, Chatham City School District, and American Institutes for Research.

This research brief outlines the major findings from NYKids’ latest study on the effects of the pandemic on the educator workforce. The full report, “Opportunities and Challenges to Adapt and Innovate: How Educators Confronted the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was published in December, 2022 and is available on our website. The brief succinctly describes the four drivers for adaptation and innovation found in positive outlier schools that participated in the study: Empowerment and Collective Responsibility; Responsiveness and Flexible Problem Solving ; A Relationship- and Connection-Centered Orientation; and Adaptive and Innovative Systems.

In this presentation, Maria I. Khan and Kristen C. Wilcox discuss findings from an research conducted at an urban, diverse elementary school with high rates of poverty. The presentation “Remote Schooling during the COVID-10 Pandemic: A Case Study of Impacts on Children in a High Poverty, High Diversity School” was presented at the Comparative and International Education Society’s Annual Conference.

In this presentation titled “Stakeholder Empowerment: Research Results on Adaptive Leadership During Change” NYKids Director Kristen C. Wilcox and Associate Professor at Russell Sage College Francesca Durand discuss findings related to leadership drawn from NYKids’ study of the pandemic’s impacts on educators throughout New York State.

NYKids team members Kristen C. Wilcox and Maria I. Khan presented findings from an ongoing research study at the Comparative and International Education Society. The presentation, entitled “Improving Educational Equity through Research-Practice Partnerships & University-School Collaborations in the Post-Pandemic Era,” explores the research-practice partnership between NYKids, Chatham Central School District, and Tech Valley High School. This work is also being conducted with the support of the American Institutes for Research.

NYKids’ latest report, “Opportunities and Challenges to Adapt and Innovate: How Educators Confronted the COVID-19 Pandemic,” features data gathered among 88 educators from 6 schools across New York State. The study offers important findings related to adaptation and innovation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides insight into the challenges faced by school districts as well as the promising adaptations and innovations such crises prompt.

This case study report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation and Innovation: A Study of Educators’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic” is part of NYKids’ research project investigating the impacts on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on the experiences, adaptations, and innovations of educators at Shaker Road Elementary School in Colonie, New York.

This case study report, “Opportunities and Challenges for Adaptation and Innovation: A Study of Educators’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic” is part of NYKids’ research project investigating the impacts on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report focuses on the experiences, adaptations, and innovations of educators at Tamarac Secondary School in Troy, New York.

This presentation provides insight into how Improvement Science can guide school improvement by helping schools and districts to “see the system” when developing goals, plans, and processes to effect changes to improve student outcomes. An overview of NYKids COMPASS is shown as a process for using improvement science to guide school teams for continuous improvement, along with a case example of how COMPASS was applied within a research to practice partnership and information about NYKids resources designed to support school improvement work.

Drawing from lessons learned in other sectors, educators are increasingly looking for ways to address longstanding outcome disparities for children and youth growing up in poverty and from diverse ethnic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. When seeking to improve student outcomes, the Six Principles of Improvement Science can guide educators to develop strategies for continuous improvement. The NYKids’ COMPASS-AIM process melds the principles of improvement science with research on odds-beating schools to help schools and districts tackle complex problems effecting student success.

High schools that effectively serve culturally and ethnically diverse students are a national priority. This mixed methods case study examines the design and practices of high schools called “odds-beaters” because they have above-average graduation rates for ethnically, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse students. Sample high schools are characterized in part by educators’ incorporation of positive youth development (PYD) priorities. Expressed in the ways educators talk, PYD practices are a school improvement resource, facilitating students’ engagement, agency, and identity development.

This case study is one of a series of studies conducted by Know Your Schools~for NY Kids since 2005. In 2015-16, research teams investigated 6 elementary schools. In comparison to schools serving similar populations at each grade level, these odds-beating schools are ones in which English Language Learners exceeded expected average performance on the 2012-13 and 2013-14 state mathematics and English language arts assessments across multiple grade levels and subjects. Comparisons were for grades three through six. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation in all schools; in four of the schools student interviews and classroom observations were also conducted.

In 2017-18, research teams investigated 10 high schools regarding the preparation of critical needs students for college and career. Three of these schools were typically-performing (with graduation rates as predicted for the student population served) and the remainder were odds-beating schools (with graduation rates above predicted for the student population served). This cross-case report describes the four themes observed across all odds-beating secondary schools.

This case study is one of a series of studies conducted by Know Your Schools~for NY Kids since 2005. In 2015-16, research teams investigated 6 elementary schools. In comparison to schools serving similar populations at each grade level, these odds-beating schools are ones in which English Language Learners exceeded expected average performance on the 2012-13 and 2013-14 state mathematics and English language arts assessments across multiple grade levels and subjects. Comparisons were for grades three through six. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation in all schools; in four of the schools student interviews and classroom observations were also conducted.

This case study is one of a series of studies conducted by Know Your Schools~for NY Kids since 2005. In 2015-16, research teams investigated 6 elementary schools. In comparison to schools serving similar populations at each grade level, these odds-beating schools are ones in which English Language Learners exceeded expected average performance on the 2012-13 and 2013-14 state mathematics and English language arts assessments across multiple grade levels and subjects. Comparisons were for grades three through six. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation in all schools; in four of the schools student interviews and classroom observations were also conducted.

This case study is one of a series of studies conducted by Know Your Schools~for NY Kids since 2005. In 2015-16, research teams investigated 6 elementary schools. In comparison to schools serving similar populations at each grade level, these odds-beating schools are ones in which English Language Learners exceeded expected average performance on the 2012-13 and 2013-14 state mathematics and English language arts assessments across multiple grade levels and subjects. Comparisons were for grades three through six. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation in all schools; in four of the schools student interviews and classroom observations were also conducted.

This case study is one of a series of studies conducted by Know Your Schools~for NY Kids since 2005. In 2015-16, research teams investigated 6 elementary schools. In comparison to schools serving similar populations at each grade level, these odds-beating schools are ones in which English Language Learners exceeded expected average performance on the 2012-13 and 2013-14 state mathematics and English language arts assessments across multiple grade levels and subjects. Comparisons were for grades three through six. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation in all schools; in four of the schools student interviews and classroom observations were also conducted.

This case study is one of a series of studies conducted by Know Your Schools~for NY Kids since 2005. In 2015-16, research teams investigated 6 elementary schools. In comparison to schools serving similar populations at each grade level, these odds-beating schools are ones in which English Language Learners exceeded expected average performance on the 2012-13 and 2013-14 state mathematics and English language arts assessments across multiple grade levels and subjects. Comparisons were for grades three through six. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation in all schools; in four of the schools student interviews and classroom observations were also conducted.

This case study was conducted in spring 2009 as one of a series of studies conducted by Just for the Kids~New York since 2005. For the study of middle school science, research teams investigated seven consistently higher-performing and three average-performing schools based on student performance on the New York State Intermediate-Level Science Examination in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as classroom observations and analyses of supportive documentations, to determine differences in practices between higher- and average-performing schools in the sample.

This case study was conducted in spring 2009 as one of a series of studies conducted by Just for the Kids~New York since 2005. For the study of middle school science, research teams investigated seven consistently higher-performing and three average-performing schools based on student performance on the New York State Intermediate-Level Science Examination in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as classroom observations and analyses of supportive documentations, to determine differences in practices between higher- and average-performing schools in the sample.

This case study was conducted in spring 2009 as one of a series of studies conducted by Just for the Kids~New York since 2005. For the study of middle school science, research teams investigated seven consistently higher-performing and three average-performing schools based on student performance on the New York State Intermediate-Level Science Examination in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as classroom observations and analyses of supportive documentations, to determine differences in practices between higher- and average-performing schools in the sample.

This case study is one of 10 produced as part of a larger study of high schools conducted during the 2007-08 school year. Research teams investigated 10 consistently higher-performing and five average-performing high schools based on student performance on New York State Assessments of English, mathematics, science, and history. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation, to determine differences in practices between higher-and average-performing schools in the sample.

This case study is one of 10 produced as part of a larger study of high schools conducted during the 2007-08 school year. Research teams investigated 10 consistently higher-performing and five average-performing high schools based on student performance on New York State Assessments of English, mathematics, science, and history. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation, to determine differences in practices between higher-and average-performing schools in the sample.

This case study is one of 10 produced as part of a larger study of high schools conducted during the 2007-08 school year. Research teams investigated 10 consistently higher-performing and five average-performing high schools based on student performance on New York State Assessments of English, mathematics, science, and history. Researchers used site-based interviews of teachers and administrators, as well as analyses of supportive documentation, to determine differences in practices between higher-and average-performing schools in the sample.