Collaboration with the Student Success Network
The Student Success Network (SSN) is a group of about 80 youth development and education organizations (including schools) that have coalesced around the goal of measuring and improving students’ social emotional learning skills.
Design2Learn: An Evaluation of Implementation and Impact
Design2Learn is an afterschool program for students in middle school—a period in which student performance in science often declines sharply.
Evaluating the Reach, Quality, and Impact of Computer Science for All in NYC
CS4All is a 10-year, $81 million public-private partnership between the City of New York and the private sector, designed to bring computer science education to every student in NYC public schools.
Study of the Urban Assembly Network
The Research Alliance for New York City Schools is collaborating with MDRC on a rigorous study of the effects of the Urban Assembly school support network on students’ academic and social emotional outcomes.
Frameworks to Support Teaching and Learning
The Research Alliance is continuing our partnership with the NYC DOE to define, measure, and support effective learning environments in NYC schools.
High School Choice in New York City
In recent years, policymakers across the country have instituted school choice policies, which aim to increase equity and narrow achievement gaps by offering students access to a wide range of schools, including schools outside their home neighborhood.
High School Choice Decision Supports
New York City is home to the largest high school choice program in the country. Since 2004, all City 8th graders have been required to rank their 12 preferred high school programs (in 2014-2015, there are over 700 programs offered in 400 schools).
Equity, Access, and Diversity in NYC Schools
One of the most significant challenges facing schools in New York City and around the nation lies in their relationship to larger societal inequalities.
Turnaround Middle Schools
What can be learned from low-performing middle schools that have beaten the odds and substantially improved student performance?
Evaluating the Safe Public Spaces Program
Research has demonstrated important connections between students’ sense of safety—both physical and emotional—inside their schools and outcomes such as academic effort and achievement.
Middle School Teacher Turnover
Some amount of teacher turnover is generally thought to be constructive, as it brings new ideas, energy, and skills to schools. However, research suggests that too much turnover may have serious instructional, financial, and organizational costs.
School of One Impact on Middle School Math Achievement
In the 2010-2011 academic year, three New York City middle schools began piloting School of One (SO1), a program that leverages data to individualize math instruction.
Student Transitions Through the Middle Grades
Educators have long asserted that the middle grades are a time of both great importance and vulnerability. Anecdotal and empirical evidence suggest that students encounter new social and emotional challenges, increased academic demands, and major developmental transitions during these years.
Reclassification of English Language Learners in NYC
In the 2012-2013 school year, the NYC Department of Education served 145,000 students designated as English language learners (ELLs)—nearly 15 percent of the total student population.
Data In Use
Recent years have seen a tremendous growth in data-driven initiatives aimed at improving schools, including instructional techniques and accountability systems that rely heavily on using and interpreting data.