The Research Alliance for New York City Schools

Research Director Kathryn Hill reflects on the importance of engaging communities in education research: "From the beginning, the Research Alliance has been committed to meaningful collaboration with education stakeholders, particularly those positioned to influence policy and practice in the district. Stakeholder input throughout all phases of our work–from deciding what topics to study, to interpreting and sharing findings–helps us ensure that our research is relevant, actionable, and ultimately, useful to others. Going forward, we are committed to expanding this group of engaged stakeholders, so that our work is more responsive to the interests and needs of those involved in the day-to-day work of schools. To that end, we are collaborating with community-based and youth-serving organizations–such as #DegreesNYC and the Student Success Network–and educator communities of practice–as in the Exploring Equity in Computer Science Ingenuity Team–to shape our research agenda and develop new projects. We are also finding ways to ensure that community engagement is a core part of our ongoing studies–from including young people, teachers and parents as project advisors, to actually conducting research alongside these stakeholders." Read more in Kathy's new post: https://bit.ly/3Yr87tZ

Despite increased emphasis on preparing students for both college and careers, high school advising remains an understudied topic. The Research Alliance’s new report, by John Sludden and Jim Kemple, examines New York City high school students’ experiences with college and career planning, how planning support differs across students and schools, and the link between this support and student outcomes. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/e9FY64up This study is part of a larger multi-state project being conducted with MDRC RAND, and UNC Greensboro’s SERVE Center. The project is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through a supplement to Grant #R305H190036.

The Research Alliance's new report, by Clare Buckley Flack, PhD, John Sludden, and Jim Kemple, examines participation and outcomes for students in ExpandED's STEM Options (ES Options) program: https://lnkd.in/ek7-Qnge The report highlights challenges that are relevant for many work-based learning initiatives for teens. "How to more closely link schools to work-based learning programs, connect students to information about work-based learning opportunities, coordinate program delivery by multiple providers, and help all of these groups coordinate with employers—may prove to be the largest open questions, and a place where ExpandED’s efforts and transparency about lessons learned are among its greatest contributions."

Cheri Fancsali, Executive Director, reflects on the future of the Research Alliance's work: "Our commitment to equity-focused, rigorous, and actionable research makes us well positioned to continue generating evidence that informs positive change for NYC schools and students in the years ahead." Read more: https://bit.ly/3VNRead

There are more than 100,000 students in New York City schools who have been identified as homeless. Research confirms that students experiencing homelessness face distinct challenges to their educational success: They have lower average attendance rates, change schools more often, and are less likely to be proficient on standardized tests, compared with their low-income but stably housed peers. The Research Alliance's new Spotlight post, by Zitsi Mirakhur and Kaitlyn G. O'Hagan, PhD, examines a program called Bridging the Gap, which places social workers in NYC schools, where they provide a range of supports to students experiencing homelessness. Our exploratory analysis compares attendance rate trends in schools that received a BTG social worker to trends in similar schools that did not receive a BTG social worker. Read Do “Bridging the Gap” Social Workers Improve Attendance for Students Experiencing Homelessness? https://bit.ly/3QSWTtY

We loved seeing a shout-out to the Research Alliance and the other amazing research centers at #NYUSteinhardt in the U.S. News and World Report annual rankings.

Who's going to #AERA2024?

Adriana Villavicencio, PhD, Kathryn Hill, Dana Conlin, and Sarah Klevan offer valuable new insights on the implementation of a yearlong racial justice program in NYC elementary schools.

This report is the second in a series from the Research Alliance examining Career and Technical Education (CTE) in New York City. The first report focused on CTE-Dedicated high schools in which all enrolled students participate in a CTE program. This new report focuses on 51 Comprehensive high schools that offer CTE alongside other educational options. In this context, students are assigned to CTE programs as part of their high school applications but may opt in and out of CTE learning opportunities at any point during their high school years. The study uses an especially rigorous approach to compare the experiences and outcomes of more than 26,000 students who were assigned to CTE programs in Comprehensive high schools with those of similar students who applied to the same programs but were assigned to another option not offering CTE. We found that CTE students earned similar numbers of academic credits, including in advanced coursework, as students in the non-CTE control group, and had similar graduation and college enrollment rates. The findings also highlighted considerable variation in both programming and impacts, providing useful insights about the conditions under which CTE might be more or less effective at accomplishing the central goals of college and career readiness. Read more: https://lnkd.in/enbcmFMg

In the latest post in our Executive Director’s Note series, Dr. Cheri Fancsali discusses the motivation for more consciously embedding equity throughout the Research Alliance's work, as well as the strategies we are using to bring an equity and racial justice orientation to both the substance and process of our research. This includes a focus on “understanding and disrupting the root causes of disparities in outcomes,” with “more attention to students’ access to key resources and opportunities, both in and outside the classroom.” Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gdcyNKyd