Overview of Longitudinal Evaluation Research PBS TeacherLine Station Meeting October 27, 2008

Context  Two two-year studies: Peer Connection use among coaches and their coachees Online course – Teaching Reading Fluency  Experimental designs  Nationwide reach  and  Mixed methods

Coaching Study Research Questions 1. What impact does PBS TL Peer Connection have on instructional coaching programs and teacher attitudes, knowledge and instructional practices? 2. To what extent do the effects of PBS TL Peer Connection depend on mediating factors? 3. How do the effects of the PBS TL Peer Connection change over time? 4. To what extent do the effects of PBS TL Peer Connection vary according to mediating factors? 5. To what extent does the implementation of PBS TL Peer Connection correlate with improved student achievement?

Coaching Study Design  Matched-pair random assignment to: a) “business as usual” b) Unlimited access to PBS TL Peer Connection, and professional development

Coaching Study Participants 1 24 coaches are in the process of joining the study 2 36 teachers are in the process of joining the study  Located in SC, AR, and throughout the Northeast  Focus on Title I schools  Recruitment is ongoing  Stipend for participation GoalCurrent Coaches Teachers

Coaching Study Measures  Electronic tracking of PC use  Content analysis of coach-teacher dialogue  Surveys  Field studies  Document analysis

Coaching Study Part II  Research question: To what extent are the effects of PC on student literacy or math achievement mediated by Peer Connection’s effects on teacher instructional practice?  Study within a study  Focused intervention  Literacy, then math  Subsample of 30 coaches for each content area  Same methods as Part I, plus student benchmark testing data

Online Course Research Questions 1. What impact does the PBS TL course have on teacher outcomes? 2. What impact does the PBS TL course have on student reading fluency and engagement in reading? 3. To what extent do the effects that the PBS TL course has on teaching depend on mediating factors? 4. How do the effects of the PBS TL course on teaching change over the course of the school year?

Online Course Study Design  Switching replications design Timeline Teachers Fall 2008 Spring 2009 May 2009Sept 2009Late Fall 2009 January 2010May 2010 Group A Baseline teacher surveys Online course Teacher surveys Teacher surveys and baseline student assessments Teacher surveys and student assessments Group B Baseline teacher surveys Teacher surveys Teacher surveys and baseline student assessments Online course Teacher surveys and student assessments

Online Course Study Participants  150 teachers 75 Group A 75 Group B  Located in NV, CO, VA, and MD  Grades 2-3; ELA or general ed  Title I schools  Stipend for participation  IRB approval

Online Course Study Measures  Teacher surveys: background, beliefs, efficacy, knowledge, practices. Collected at 5 points between October 2008 and May 2010  Student measures: reading fluency and attitudes; DIBELS. Collected at 3 points during school year

Why does this matter?  Research provides PBS stations with information on the effectiveness of PBS TeacherLine courses and products  The quality of PBS TeacherLine products improves based on research results

Ways you can help  Support efforts to recruit and/or maintain study participants  Make contacts between Hezel and the district’s research approval team  Maintain lists of interested teachers, principals, and school districts that can be tapped for future research projects

Barb Storandt Senior Project Manager, PK East Fayette Street Syracuse, NY Hezel Associates