http://www.sedl.org/new/ Your source for news about SEDL projects and resources en-us Copyright 2009 SEDL Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:09:11 CDT http://www.sedl.org/common/images/sedl-logo-ffffff.jpg http://www.sedl.org/new/ 101 24 SEDL carries out an integrated program of education applied research and development, information provision, technical assistance, and professional development to improve teaching and learning for all students. http://www.sedl.org/new/newsitem/20091106_209.html/new/newsitem/20091106_209.html School improvement isn't just about schools. It's also about students and teachers, and how education leaders at all levels—state, district, school, and classroom—work together to help students succeed. The November 2009 edition edition of SEDL Letter explores school improvement in a variety of areas. The first story, Imagining the Possibilities describes the beginning of SEDL's 4-year randomized controlled trial study of the Imagine It! reading program. Our research update then looks at recent research reports on an emerging trend for boosting achievement in lowperforming schools: school turnarounds. In Uncharted Territory, we examine how a growing number of high schools are using Response to Intervention as a framework for promoting student achievement. We have devoted two articles to SEDL's Professional Teaching and Learning Cycle (PTLC), a professional development process in which teachers collaboratively plan and implement lessons aligned to their state standards. The first article, Recovery 101, describes how SEDL is helping Georgetown County School District in South Carolina implement the PTLC—an investment of federal stimulus dollars that can be sustained after the funding ends. Complementing this story is Creating a Community of Professional Learners, a more detailed overview of the PTLC and what it looks like in action. We also look at the different ways that SEDL is supporting school improvement in Louisiana and Texas. Building Bright Futures for Preschoolers in Madison Parish looks at the Early Reading First project in Madison Parish, Louisiana. Helping Texas Teachers Support English Language Learners outlines how SEDL's Texas Comprehensive Center is working with the Texas Education Agency to help teachers meet the instructional needs of English language learners. Although these two articles focus on different aspects of improving teaching, they both stress the importance of professional development and adapting instruction to meet students' needs. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/new/newsitem/20091102_206.html/new/newsitem/20091102_206.html SEDL will support the work of one or more Research Internships beginning in November 2009. Research Internship Activities SEDL Research Interns have the opportunity to assist and engage research and evaluation project activities related to the implementation of large-scale multi-year rigorous research of widely used reading curricula (elementary and middle schools) funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. As a SEDL Research Intern you will work closely and in a highly collegial atmosphere with a team of SEDL's R&E staff members in the following types of activities: Assist in the development and implementation of the research design for large-scale randomized controlled trial studies of reading curricula, including an experimental design and program implementation study design. Provide assistance with the implementation of sampling and recruitment plans. Contribute to the development and pilot testing of study protocols and data collection instruments. Assist in the development and implementation of data collection plans Assist in analyzing qualitative and quantitative data related to the studies. Participate in the dissemination of research findings. For more information on SEDL and R&E, including current projects, please visit www.sedl.org/ SEDL Research Internship Requirements and Preferences Required: You must be 1) a graduate student, 2) currently enrolled full-time in good standing at a college or university, 3) in departments of Education, Sociology, Psychology or a related field, and 4) willing to commit to a flexible work schedule of approximately 15-20 hours per week at SEDL during SEDL's regular business hours (7 a.m. - 6 p.m.). Preferred: Preference is given to students with 1) experience or background in research design methods; 2) experience or background conducting data analysis; and 3) experience or background in the area of early elementary reading and/or adolescent literacy. Compensation SEDL Research Interns receive an hourly wage of $20.00. Benefits of FICA and state unemployment will be paid by SEDL. In the unlikely event that your assigned work involves travel, SEDL will cover all travel expenses in accordance with institutional guidelines. Parking, bike racks, and a shower are available. SEDL is on an Austin Metro bus route. Application Please submit a letter of interest and a vitae by November 13, 2009 to Dr. Michael Vaden-Kiernan, Director of Research and Evaluation, michael.vaden-kiernan@sedl.org. You can direct any questions to Dr. Vaden-Kiernan via e-mail or phone: 512-391-6562. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/about/careers.htmlhttp://www.sedl.org/about/careers.html SEDL, a nationally recognized and respected research and development organization headquartered in a new state-of-the-art green building in Austin, Texas, is seeking education researchers to join our research and evaluation team. We are looking for individuals interested in making substantial contributions to the field of education research by developing and conducting rigorous research studies. The new staff members will primarily be responsible for collaborating with a team of SEDL and other nationally recognized researchers on two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to conduct large-scale, multi-year randomized controlled trial studies of widely used reading curricula in elementary and middle schools. Click here to view the full details in the notice of vacancy. Closes: Open until filled. Application review begins November 6, 2009 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/afterwords/oct2009/http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/afterwords/oct2009/ For afterschool and expanded-learning programs that strive to boost student academic achievement during the regular school day, tutoring programs can play an important role in reaching this goal. The October 2009 edition of AfterWords addresses afterschool tutoring, including homework, the use of technology for tutoring, and ideas for subjects such as reading, math, and science. Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/bulletins/sedl-monthly/oct2009.htmlhttp://www.sedl.org/bulletins/sedl-monthly/oct2009.html SEDL's Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) convened key leaders from state education agencies in six southeastern states at a summit in Atlanta, Georgia, to discuss various approaches to funding RtI. Learn more. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x1675932763/Educators-go-beyond-back-to-school-night-to-get-parents-involvedhttp://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x1675932763/Educators-go-beyond-back-to-school-night-to-get-parents-involved Bakersfield.com Project director Lacy Wood talks about the importance of parental involvement in students' education. "Parent participation is a two-way street; it's incumbent upon schools to offer multiple ways to get involved in addition to the standard avenues of classroom volunteering, back-to-school night and conference." Read more. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/ebulletin/ebulletin_v4_n1.htmlhttp://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/ebulletin/ebulletin_v4_n1.html In this edition of the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) e-Bulletin we highlight the issues of teacher quality and the equitable distribution of effective teachers. While we all know the importance of this issue from the research on the impact of highly effective and ineffective teachers on student outcomes, many of us also know it through personal experience as educators and parents. As educators, we have watched some teachers struggle while others excel, and as parents we have been part of the discussion about which teachers we want our children to have in a particular school. While it is an issue that we know exists and has a tremendous impact on student achievement, we often struggle with how to address it through policy at the state or local level. Yet many of our children from high-poverty backgrounds are counting on us to ensure that they have the effective teachers they need in their classrooms every day of every year. We hope that the information included in this issue will provide you details on research and practice occurring both nationally and within our region. Be sure to read the stories from our states about their work in this area to find some innovative strategies for addressing both the teacher effectiveness issue and the teacher shortage issue that exists in some areas. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/new/pressrelease/20091020_198.html/new/pressrelease/20091020_198.html SEDL Program Associate Dr. Sarah Caverly attended the Institute of Education Sciences' (IES) Training Institute on Cluster-Randomized Trials this summer. Caverly was selected through a competitive application process: all attendees were required to  have a doctoral degree and experience conducting research relevant to education. Only 30 applicants were selected. The institute took place from June 21 to July 3 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the third year IES has held the institute. Course sessions provided intensive training on planning and conducting cluster randomized trials. In these experiments, groups like classrooms or schools , rather than individuals, are randomly assigned  to study intervention conditions. Participants also attended hands-on data analysis sessions and learned to use several different advanced  statistical analysis software packages. Lead faculty at the institute included David Cordray, professor of public policy and professor of Psychology at Vanderbilt University; Larry Hedges, board of trustees professor of statistics and policy research and faculty fellow at the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University; and Mark Lipsey, director of the Peabody Research Institute at the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, Vanderbilt University. The institute provided a great opportunity to learn from some of the top researchers in the field and see what the trends are, Caverly says. Caverly will apply what she learned in the institute to projects like SEDL's research study on SRA/McGraw-Hill's Imagine It! reading and language arts program and the evaluation of the Bright Futures Early Reading First Program in Madison Parish, Louisiana.   Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/04/education-parenting-teachers-forbes-woman-time-back-to-school.htmlhttp://www.forbes.com/2009/09/04/education-parenting-teachers-forbes-woman-time-back-to-school.html SEDL's research on the importance of parental involvement is mentioned in Forbes magazine in an article called Making Sacrifices for Your Child's Education online. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/spotlight/spotlight-v2n9.htmlhttp://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/spotlight/spotlight-v2n9.html The National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers have released draft college and career readiness standards, as part of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which is supported by 48 states and three territories. The goal of this initiative is to develop common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics for grades K–12. According to the initiative's partnership, the draft standards define the knowledge and skills students should have to be prepared to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing, academic college courses and in workforce training programs. The partnership is accepting feedback on the draft standards until October 21, 2009. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://autism.sedl.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=37http://autism.sedl.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=79&Itemid=37 During the webcast, held Septmeber 30, 2009, the presenter described the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Autism Spectrum Disorders Career Links project. The NIDRR-funded project conducts evidence-based research on vocational rehabilitation (VR) service models for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The project is a collaborative initiative between VCU and the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS). The project includes research in four areas: the impact of intensive, community-based work experiences on the employment outcomes of youth with ASDs; the postsecondary school participation and ultimate employment of college students with ASDs; the impact of personal digital assistants (PDAs) on the employment outcomes of individuals with ASDs; and a longitudinal analysis of VR service delivery and employment outcomes among DRS clients with ASDs. The project also includes dissemination activities such as web casts, fact sheets, evidence-based journal articles, and a toolkit on how to enhance VR employment models for youth with ASDs. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/afterwords/sep2009/http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/afterwords/sep2009/ The september edition of Afterwords includes articles on Involving Families and Communities in the Arts; the Afterschool Lesson Plan Database; Stories from the Field: Hser Ner Moo Community and Welcome Center; Training Tip: Community Involvement by Giving Back; and a poll: Has your afterschool program tried any of these family involvement activities? Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.ncddr.org/webcasts/webcast20.htmlhttp://www.ncddr.org/webcasts/webcast20.html Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most prevalent and debilitating conditions in the United States. Of the estimated 1.4 million individuals who sustain a TBI annually, about 1.1 million are treated and released from emergency departments, 235,000 are hospitalized, and 80,000 to 90,000 experience permanent disability from their injury. TBI typically affects an individual either early in their productive years or once they have established a productive life. Besides the economic impact of lost years of work on the individual, family, and society, research indicates that employment is one of the most important psychosocial predictors of well-being, quality of life, social integration, and recovery in survivors with TBI. Due to the high incidence of TBI in racial and ethnically diverse communities and an increase in minority survivors with TBI, recent studies have examined the role of race/ethnicity on return-to-work post-injury. The webcast aims to examine the effect of race/ethnicity on employment outcomes following TBI. We will review studies that: 1) Compare employment outcomes between African Americans, Hispanics and Whites at one, two, and five years post-injury; 2) Determine the influence of minority status on job stability after Traumatic Brain Injury; 3) Examine changes in employment over time within each race group; and 4) Compare the changes in employment over time between these racial groups. Finally, implications, conclusions, and recommendations for future research studies in this area will be highlighted and discussed in detail. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/spotlight/spotlight-v2n8.htmlhttp://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/spotlight/spotlight-v2n8.html The September edition of the Southeast Comprehensive Center (SECC) Spotlight highlights the August, 2009 Regional Mathematics Institute and the Videoconference on A Toolkit for Title I Parental Involvement, also held in August. The spotlight also highlighted the SECC's state work in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/bulletins/sedl-monthly/sep2009.htmlhttp://www.sedl.org/bulletins/sedl-monthly/sep2009.html The September issue of SEDL Monthly, "Wrangling With Numbers: Making Math Work" provides resources for mathematics instruction. Visit the subscribe page to subscribe to receive SEDL Monthly via e-mail. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/afterwords/http://www.sedl.org/afterschool/afterwords/ The August 2009 edition of AfterWords focuses on Why Leadership Matters. This edition also includes Recommended Resources: Assessment Tools in Informal Science; Stories from the Field: Learning Point Associates (Naperville, Illinois); Training Tip: Sharing Leadershi, and a poll: What are some of the ways that your afterschool program helps staff develop leadership skills? Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.sedl.org/new/pressrelease/20090817_180.html/new/pressrelease/20090817_180.html Why Program Evaluation Is Important: One of the primary reasons for evaluating a school or district improvement program is to learn the extent that a program is successful in producing intended program outcomes, most often student achievement gains. However, there are a number of other reasons for designing and carrying out an evaluation plan for a given district or school improvement program. These include clarifying the program's theory of change, confirming that program activities are being implemented, and identifying a program's areas of strength and weakness. These elements are essential to promoting the success of a program by focusing on the expected short- and long-term outcomes for program activities and the progress being made toward attaining them. Program Evaluation 101 participants will explore these issues by engaging in activities derived from typical district and school program planning and evaluation contexts. Who Should Attend: Administrators; state and district generators of data; and users of data Objectives: You will gain an understanding of a theory of change; increase your knowledge of using a program's theory of change to guide the design of a program evaluation plan; and identify tools for designing and carrying out an evaluation plan. Presenters: Cheryl Harris is responsible for formative and summative evaluation of a number of SEDL programmatic activities. Before joining SEDL in April 2000, Dr. Harris worked as an evaluation consultant and taught classes at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a PhD in educational psychology with a specialization in learning, cognition, and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin. Erin McCann develops and conducts formative and summative evaluation and research studies in SEDL's Research and Evaluation Program. She also provides training and support to state and district staff to build their capacity to evaluate school improvement efforts. Prior to joining SEDL in June 2000, Dr. McCann worked as an evaluation consultant and taught classes at the University of Texas, Southwest Texas State University, and Austin Community College. She holds a PhD in educational psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Schedule a Session: Contact SEDL if you would like to schedule a customized session at your location or at SEDL's headquarters in Austin, TX. For more information contact: Laura Shankland Communications Associate Phone: 512-391-6556 E-mail: laura.shankland@sedl.org Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://www.ncddr.org/kt/products/focus/focus23/http://www.ncddr.org/kt/products/focus/focus23/ The Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) was first funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in 1999. Among CIRRIE's charges was the creation of a bibliographic database of citations to articles on research conducted outside of the United States. The database was to be free and Internet-accessible so as to expand U.S. rehabilitation researchers' knowledge of what was being studied elsewhere in the world. Now in its second 5-year funding cycle, CIRRIE's Database of International Rehabilitation Research contains almost 90,000 citations to articles published since 1990. Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News) http://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/ebulletin/ebulletin_v3_n4.htmlhttp://secc.sedl.org/resources/newsletter/ebulletin/ebulletin_v3_n4.html The June SECC e-Bulletin focuses on Response to Intervention and the progress being made in each of the SECC states on this promising practice. In February, 2009, the SECC convened key leaders from SEAs in six southeastern states to discuss various approaches to funding RtI during a summit held in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants attended an interactive session by representatives of various offices in the U.S. Department of Education (Title I, Title III, and the Office of Special Education Programs) to gain insight into fiscal policies that support the implementation of RtI and what is allowable under specific provisions of federal law. In addition, states and local education agencies (LEAs) that have extensive practical experience with RtI implementation, such as Iowa, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, as well as experts that are nationally recognized for their work with RtI systems (e.g., National Center on Response to Intervention) discussed the fiscal aspects of RtI implementation. State Education Agency (SEA) staff also networked with colleagues who are implementing RtI in the southeast region and participated in meaningful discussions around using various funding methods to implement RtI. This edition of theSECC e-Bulletin discusses the lessons learned from the summit. Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:00:00 CDT info@sedl.org (SEDL News)