Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation

The Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation (PRE) conducts applied research and evaluation studies focused on promoting positive educational outcomes for youth, and understanding the influence of both schools and communities on those outcomes. Its goal is to use research to inform educational policies and practices at federal, state, local, and programmatic levels.

Current Projects

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Building Parent Civic Power in Virtual Spaces

This case study documents the practices IPL uses to build the civic power of parents, caregivers, and professionals working with families.

New York City Partnership for Math Equity Research Study

PRE researchers partnered with New York City Public Schools, Amplify, and the Research Alliance for NYC Schools to understand how digital math resources can support equitable access to grade-level math and foster belonging, engagement, and positive math identities.

Image captures four students standing in a circle in a green space.. the students collectively raise their hands to reach of the sky,. The student furthest away from the camera wears a pink striped shirt, while the student to the right wears a light blue t-shirt. The student with their back to camera wears a yellow shirt, while the adjacent wears an olive green top.

Sustaining Momentum on Summer Learning

This research brief focuses on key strategies that summer learning leaders in 13 districts across the country used to sustain progress on summer learning programs, including building capacity, strengthening partnerships and buy-in, and securing funding.

Image captures a school classroom full of studeents. the studets are sitting in rows of individual desks. The Camera focuses on a B lack femalkes studwnt wearing a red sweatshirt. The student smiles ear to ear, as she holds her arm up to confideltly answers a question poosed by her teacher.

Assessing Three Years of the Nellie Mae Education Foundation’s Racial Equity Strategy

This report illuminates how the Nellie Mae Education Foundation pivoted its grantmaking strategy to center racial equity and interrogates its "big bets" about effectively investing in grassroots-level change

Image captures a family gathered together in a park. The photo is centered around a mother and father sitting in a green space with their two young daughters. To the right of the photo, the father sits facing the camera, as one of his daughter hugs him from behind.. He wears a white t-shirt, and she smiles over his left shoulder. On the right, the mother sits adjacent to her young daugher.. The mother waes an aqua colored top, while the daughter wears a blue top..

Building Power Together: Family Civics in Communities of Color Study

Funded by the William T. Grant Foundation, this 4-year mixed-method study focused on a community-based civic leadership program for parents/caregivers and their children, ages 3-12: the Children’s Leadership Training Institute (CLTI) and the Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI).

Image captures five school age children standing in a circle with hands together. The students stand in a semi-circle with their hands stacked on top of each other. The students smile as they look into the camera lens.. Ther student at the center of the image wears a short sleeved stripped shirt. The most visible student stands on the far right of image. She wears a pink long sleeve top with a purple colored backpack.

Building Young Civic Leaders: How CLTI Empowers Children to Change Their Communities

Learn how the Children’s Leadership Training Institute (CLTI) empowers children 3-12 to form their civic identities, use their voices, become civic leaders, and participate in intergenerational civics lessons.

Image captures an Africnan American family are gathered together, as they stand in front of a dark gray wall. The family is composed of a Father on the right wearing a black jacket over a white shirt. On the left his wife holds their elementary school aged child. In between the mother and father, is their tween-aged daughter. The daughter wears a green jacket, and has her arm intertwine with her father.

Difficult Conversations Made Easier: Lessons Learned from Families on How to Talk about Sociopolitical Issues with Children

Families who participate in the Parent Leadership Training Institute and the Children’s Leadership Training Institute are further equipped to have difficult conversations about politics and what is happening in their communities.

Postsecondary Research Collaborative

The Postsecondary Research Collaborative (PRC) is an initiative focused on understanding and addressing the college and career opportunities, experiences, and outcomes of diverse student populations

Image captures four parents in seated at a table in deep discussion. The picture centers around the two female teachers on the far side of the table. The female parent on the left, wears denim top as she turns to her fellow teacher and continues listen to her. The teach on the right leads the table's conversation, wearing a navy blue top and shoulder length black hair.

The Parent Power and Leadership Project Snapshots

For nearly two years, Community Organizing and Family Issues and Power-PAC IL parent leaders participated in the Parent Power and Leadership Project (PPLP), an effort to share how social justice organizations support the learning and growth of parents, youth, and communities. Their stories show how COFI Way Leadership Development doesn’t just help to transform parents, but it also helps to inspire and activate youth, families, and communities.

Image captures a Black Woman educator seated at a long row table with fellow instructors. The Black Woman looks intently focused on the lesson going on at the front of the classroom. She wears a khaki colored sweater over a white shirt. She is wearing her hair in braids and wears a blue and brown colored headband. The educator seated to her left wears a light blue denim shirt and eye-glasses.

The Parent Power and Leadership Project Resource Page

Funded by the Spencer Foundation and led by Drs. Joanna Geller, Jennifer Cossyleon, and Fabienne Doucet, we explore how children learn and thrive when their family members belong to parent leadership and organizing groups that are striving toward social, racial, and economic justice.

Image captures a family of four enjoying an embrace. This Mother, Fathers, Son, and Daughter in a green speace as thiey sit together. The Mother and Father sits behind their two children. The two elementary school childrenare smile, but the older child shyly, turns his face away from the camera. The Mothter tries to encourage her son to turn his face back to the camera.

A Model for Districtwide Family Engagement Capacity Building: The Case of Fayette County, KY Public Schools

This case study showcases how Fayette County Public Schools in Kentucky transformed its approach to family engagement through a powerful professional development series led by the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL).

Image captures a family of four gathered in an open yard. The two parents stand facing each other. Each parent stands slightly on a right angle, as both the mother and the father carry one of their children on their back. The Father carrries the son on his back. While the mother carries her daughter on her back. Both children appear to be grade school aged.

Families First Ripple Program Parent and Agency Alumni Survey Report

Families First’s Ripple Program offers an evidence-informed framework for both parents wishing to strengthen leadership skills and youth- and family- serving agencies who have attempted to engage families but are not seeing compelling results. Families First contracted with the Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation (PRE) at NYU Metro Center for an evaluation of the long-term impact of the Ripple Program on families, agencies, and communities.

The assistant principal and counselor from Middletown High School visit with a student and his mother outside the family’s home during the school day.

Kentucky Collaborative Research and Evaluation Study

The goal of the Kentucky Collaborative Research Study is to understand how family-school partnerships change in schools over a 3-year time period.

Image captures a daughter with her mother and father. The family walking on a college campus, as they assist their daughter into her first dorm room. The photo is centered by the daughter wearing a yellow shirt, as she holds a box with items for her dorm room. She if flanked by her mother on the left who wear a grey shirt ,under an olive colored jacket. The father stands behind the daughter on the right, wearing a blue jacket.

PRE's Education Conversation Series

PRE's Education Conversation Series brings together parent leaders, community members, researchers, and other indispensable stakeholders engaged in educational justice work to discuss ways to create culturally responsive and sustaining learning environments for all students and their families.

Image captures Father preparing a meal with his two daughters.

PRE's Summer Snapshot Series

PRE's 'Summer Snapshots' are a multi-part research brief series born out of ongoing research on the District Summer Learning Network (DSLN). This research, funded by the Wallace Foundation, explores how school districts across the U.S. plan and implement high-quality, evidence-based summer learning programs for students.

Parent Organizing for Racial Equity Resources

In January 2021 four organizations that develop parents as leaders, in partnership with the NYU Metro Center and funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, committed to advancing parent-led racial equity projects in New Mexico, Mississippi, New York, and Washington. This racial equity peer learning and inquiry community is part of a broad body of work that began with the Parent Leadership Indicators Project.

This Parent Power and Leadership Survey findings report -Introduction

Parent Leadership and Organizing for Justice: A Landscape Analysis

This Parent Power and Leadership Survey findings report focuses on parent leadership initiatives that develop leadership skills and knowledge to work collectively toward racial, social, or economic justice. Family engagement leadership.

Grade school girl smiles and waves with paint on her hands

PRE Research Brief Series

The Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation (PRE) conducts applied research and evaluation studies focused on promoting positive educational outcomes for youth, and understanding the influence of both schools and communities on those outcomes. These PRE Research Briefs communicate the essential elements, methodologies, participant recruitment, relevant survey or moderator guide and report formant.

An Evaluation of the BPS Excellence for All Initiative

Our report provides a primarily qualitative analysis of fidelity and quality of support for student learning in the implementation of the EFA initiative in 16 Boston Public Schools serving 4-6th grade students.

Gates Racial Identity Project

The Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation is studying a cohort of five leading youth-serving organizations to better understand relationships among racial identity formation.

Students presenting computer science project

BEES Evaluation

PRE is working closely with BPS to conduct a 2 year, mixed-method formative evaluation of BEES to understand how the programs works and to determine if participation in BEES has an impact on science outcomes for students.

Organizing Family and Community: Collective Parent Action and Intergenerational Learning

This project, funded by the Spencer Foundation, explores how children learn and thrive when their parents and family members belong to parent leadership and organizing groups.

High school hallway filled with students

Parent Leadership Indicators Project

With access to high-quality leadership training and development, parents can become powerful advocates for greater opportunities for children, and the family becomes a vital constituency for improved child and community outcomes.