Building Evidence to Inform Education Policy and Practice: Managing a Balancing Act July13, 2012 Adriana Villavicencio Research Associate The Research Alliance for New York City Schools at NYU 1

Mission The Research Alliance for New York City Schools conducts rigorous studies on topics that matter to the city’s public schools. We strive to advance equity and excellence in education by providing non-partisan evidence about policies and practices that promote students' development and academic success. 2

Core Functions Conducting rigorous and applied research for and about the New York City schools; Building and maintaining a longitudinal data archive to support rigorous research; and Communicating and disseminating the results of research in accessible and transparent terms to a broad audience of policymakers, practitioners, parents, and other stakeholders. 3

Organizational Structure Legal and Administrative Status  NYU Research Center; Administrative unit within Steinhardt.  Founding Charter sets relationship with NYU and role of Governance Board. Oversight  Direct oversight by NYU Provost  Administrative support through Steinhardt  Governance Board with guidance and advisory function  Executive Director responsible for day-to-day operation Current staff of 9 full-time, 3 part-time, 3 IES-PIRT fellows, and Research Interns; plans for growth to full-time staff. Evolving partnerships with individuals and organizations to execute projects and disseminate findings 4

Partnerships 5 Research Partners Columbia University Teachers College MDRC Baruch College (CUNY) Brown University AIR Consortium on Chicago School Research New York City Department of Education

Operating Parameters 6 Data agreement between DOE and NYU on behalf of Research Alliance Detailed research agenda developed in consultation with DOE, advisors from NYC stakeholder groups, and other researchers. Specific topics, research questions and projects to evolve from internal and external initiative. Projects executed by Research Alliance staff and through partnerships with other researchers and research organizations. External advisory committees both for input and feedback on research agenda and for technical and substantive review. “No Surprises” policy. DOE provided with advance notice on both research priorities and findings.

Research Agenda: Initial Broad Topic Areas 7 High School Achievement, Attainment, and Post-Secondary Preparation Achievement and Development in the Middle Grades Contexts That Support Effective Teaching Data Use for Practice and Policy

Recent Work 8 Assessing the Impact of Children First Reforms on New York State test scores: Comparative interrupted time series analysis Successful Turnaround Strategies for New York City Middle Grade Schools. Data Use in New York City Schools: A Study of the Achievement, Reporting and Innovation System (ARIS) Assessing the NYC School Survey Measures of the School Learning Environment

Key Challenges: Managing the Balancing Act 9 Strategy and opportunity Breadth and depth “No surprises” and academic freedom Research ambition and political/operational realities Research and communication

Research Alliance for New York City Schools 10 New York University 285 Mercer Street, 3rd Floor New York, NY Adriana Villavicencio:

Modes of Research: Multi-method and interdisciplinary 11 Descriptive:  Mapping and profiling policies, practices and outcomes Correlation:  Examining associations the emerge from “naturally occurring” variation Evaluation:  Assessing the impact of existing policies, programs, and interventions Demonstration:  Developing, designing or scaling interventions in order to conduct rigorous studies of implementation, impact and cost