Research and Evaluation Agenda
The Department has identified four strategic objectives of critical and immediate importance in achieving its goals: support for students; support for educators; support for schools and districts; and state leadership. The research agenda aligns with these objectives, identifying the key questions in each where more information would be useful for policy- and decision-making.
Support for students
A key Department objective is to identify and implement the supports students need-whether academic, social, emotional, health, or otherwise-to close the achievement gap and reach proficiency and beyond. Research advancing our knowledge in this area could:
Measure the impact of specific supports on student outcomes Measure the impact of specific incentives on student outcomes Develop models for predicting student retention, dropout, and/or graduation Identify measures of college readiness and analyze student performance with respect to those measures Identify promising practices for encouraging proficiency and engagement and reducing barriers to learning
Support for educators
State education policy can only affect student outcomes through a strong partnership with teachers. Improving educator effectiveness, therefore, is a primary lever by which the state can improve student outcomes. Research advancing our knowledge on this objective could:
Analyze the relationship between educator characteristics and student outcomes Evaluate the impact of specific educator-oriented development programs (such as professional development, mentoring, or leadership training) on student outcomes Analyze the educator workforce to identify gaps between supply and demand and opportunities to improve recruitment and retention Combine educator and student data to allow us to measure the impact of educators on student achievement
Support for schools and districts
The ability of districts and schools to improve student outcomes is limited by their organizational capacity and the tools they have at their disposal, so efforts to expand these resources play a key role in the Department's ability to achieve its vision and goals. These may take the form of changes in governance, financial resources, student or educator standards, data accessibility, or other infrastructure. Research advancing our knowledge on this objective could:
Measure how changes in systems and structures in schools or districts affect student outcomes Analyze the financial situation of districts and identify possible sources of financial distress Analyze the systems and structures required for effective district management and their associated costs Measure the impact of our interventions and suggested practices with schools and districts on student outcomes Measure how specific standards-based programs such as formative assessment, the MassCore recommended curriculum, or literacy programs affect student outcomes Analyze and explain trends in student performance by subgroup on MCAS and other assessments Create a suite of survey-based self-assessment tools for districts and schools
State leadership
Research and evaluation helps measure the success of the programs we administer, but it can also be useful in understanding and improving our own internal processes. Research advancing our knowledge on this objective could:
Define outcome measures and milestones for each Department strategic objective and initiative Measure the impact of internal process changes on cost, time management, efficiency, job satisfaction, or other measures Analyze data collected by programs and monitoring units to identify areas for process improvement or policy change Coordinate research efforts between related agencies such as the Department of Early Education and Care, the Board of Higher Education, and the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development Create appropriate comparison groups for each school and district in the state
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