The Center for Policy, Research, and Evaluation (PRE) conducts applied research and evaluation studies and provides data services 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.
Evaluation and Data Services
PRE partners with practitioners, school leaders and educators, CBOs, parents, and students to design evaluations and research tools to help them answer questions about education equity. We provide a range of customizable evaluation and data services:
- Formative and summative evaluation designs, including experimental and quasi-experimental designs
- Participatory evaluation and research, for example, YPAR and CPAR
- Survey design
- Data disaggregation and analysis
- Equity audits
- Asset inventories
- Continuous improvement assessments
- Indicator systems
- Practice continuums
Partners have included school districts (e.g. NYC Department of Education, Boston Public Schools); non-profits (the Parent Leadership Training Institute; Third Sector New England; New Tech Network); schools (e.g. Florida Atlantic University High School), and foundations (e.g. Schott Foundation).
Research
Through research, we seek to ask questions and tell stories that not only shine a spotlight on injustice, but also uplift the community cultural wealth and funds of knowledge of Black, Indigenous, People of Color and those that have been marginalized due to their intersecting identities of language, immigration status, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. Funders of our research have included the Institute of Educational Sciences, the WT Grant Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Gates Foundation.
Research to Practice Partnerships and Community Initiatives
PRE partners with schools and districts, community-based organizations, and parent organizations to collaboratively investigate, create, and sustain equitable spaces, practices, and policies within and outside of schools. The goal of our Research-to-Practice partnerships and Community Initiatives is to create mutually beneficial relationships that bring together research, practice, and all the important stakeholders (privileged and disadvantaged) by:
- Co-creating useful data and research that has implications and guidance for practice
- Translating research into field-friendly publications and media for various practitioners and communities
- Sharing resources and expertise to assist community-led and educator-led research
- Organizing events, webinars, and training to bridge research and practice, build research skills/data literacy for practitioner use, and elevate the work of programs, practitioners, and researchers.
At PRE, we view educators, administrators, students, parents, education organizations, and community members as education practitioners.