1. Kentucky College and Career Readiness Research Alliance (KyCCRA) Patricia Kannapel REL Appalachia Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services Board Meeting June 11, 2014

2. What Is the REL Program? Authorized by the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002. Charged with helping to build a more evidence-reliant education system. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (IES). 2

3. REL Appalachia’s Mission Meet the applied research and technical support needs of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Bring evidence-based information to policy makers and practitioners: – Provide support for a more evidence-reliant education system. – Inform policy and practice for states, districts, schools, and other stakeholders. – Focus on high-priority, discrete issues and build a body of knowledge over time. 3

4. REL Appalachia’s Priority Areas 4 Ensuring college and career readiness Improving low-achieving schools Supporting effective teachers and leaders

5. How We Work: Research Alliances What is a research alliance? – A partnership between education stakeholders and REL Appalachia What is the purpose of a research alliance? – Develop and carry out a research and analytic technical assistance agenda on priority topics Who are the education stakeholders in an alliance? – Schools, local education agencies, state education agencies, parents, regional cooperatives, and other organizations (e.g., colleges and universities) 5

6. Kentucky College and Career Readiness Alliance Member organizations: – Southeast/Southcentral Educational Cooperative  Original member, now in 3 rd year of partnership – Central Kentucky Educational Cooperative (CKEC) – Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) – Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) – Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC) – Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) – Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) Looking to expand alliance to include additional cooperatives (WKEC, KEDC, NKCES). 6

7. KyCCRA Goals and Topics Goals – Understand the use and effectiveness of strategies to prepare students for college and careers, particularly dual enrollment/dual credit (DE/DC) courses. – Understand and increase student engagement in schools. Topics – DE/DC – Student engagement – College and career readiness Interventions – Teacher turnover and effectiveness 7

8. Completed KyCCRA Projects (2014) Workshop: Interventions for students who are off-track to meet college and career readiness benchmarks Webinar: Student engagement and how it is measured Report and interactive map: Participation and Pass Rates in College Preparatory Transition Courses in KentuckyParticipation and Pass Rates in College Preparatory Transition Courses in Kentucky 8

9. Current and Upcoming KyCCRA Projects Workshop and data support: Using student engagement survey data to inform schoolwide programs and strategies (Sept. 10) Webinar: Meeting student needs through increased learning time (Sept. 18) Webinar: Using student voice surveys as a measure of teacher effectiveness (Sept. 23) Studies: Descriptive statewide study of DE/DC programs and detailed profiles of DE/DC implementation in six districts* Planning for 2015 projects is underway. *Pending project approval by IES. 9

10. Expectations for Member Organizations Appoint representative to core planning team, who will: – Meet monthly (by phone) to inform and monitor project plans. – Create mechanism to engage organization in the work of the alliance (such as, appoint/identify committee to manage work, present at board meetings). Member districts have the opportunity, but are not required to, participate in KyCCRA projects. Participating organizations will provide access to relevant data. There is no cost to participate other than dedication of staff time. 10

11. Connect with Us! www.relappalachia.org @REL_Appalachia Monthly Newsletter: RELAppalachia@cna.org (Subject: Subscribe)RELAppalachia@cna.org 11

12. REL Appalachia Staff for Kentucky Research Alliance Dr. Patricia J. Kannapel, Alliance Coordinator kannapelk@cna.org (502) 581-0324 Dr. Michael Flory, Alliance Researcher FloryM@cna.orgFloryM@cna.org or Michael.Flory@education.ky.govMichael.Flory@education.ky.gov (502) 564-4394 Dr. Jerry Johnson, Alliance Researcher Jerry.Johnson.unf@gmail.com (904) 460-8720 12