DC 2007 systemic school reform package (staff evaluation, charter sector growth, unified enrollment)¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 5 claims (5 for) · 3 studies (2 causal, 1 qualitative), q1–q2 · 0 of 3 report an effect size · 5 claims rest on one study

Description¶

Beginning in 2007, the District of Columbia implemented a systemic reform of educational governance and processes. The article describes that "These reforms included implementation of a more rigorous staff evaluation system, steady growth of the public charter school sector, and the introduction of a unified enrollment system." The package was designed, in the article's words, "to produce dramatic improvements in student outcomes" and is evaluated cumulatively rather than component by component.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• The article evaluates the reforms as a package; component-level impacts are not separately identified

Constraints¶

• Cumulative impacts only; the design does not attribute effects to individual reform components

Target Learners¶

• DC public school students in grades 4, 8, and high school

Target Learning Goals¶

• Student achievement in math and reading on NAEP

Claims¶

• DC math impacts of about one-third of a standard deviation are similar in magnitude to New Orleans reforms and larger than some well-known interventions [+W]
• The DC reforms were associated with grade 8 math gains, especially for cohorts with more exposure, but not grade 8 reading gains [+W]
• The DC reforms were associated with larger than expected improvements in grade 4 math and reading NAEP scores [+W]
• The 2007 DC reforms aimed to improve student achievement by hiring and retaining higher quality teachers and providing families more public school choices [+W]
• Stronger working relationships emerged among highest-level central office administrators, but rifts and skepticism about systemic change remained among other staff [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Value-Added Assessment System for DC Schools and Teachers (2009–2015 project context)

Examples¶

• Estimate cumulative impacts of district-wide reforms by comparing achievement changes to similar students in similar geographic areas without the reforms

Key Sources¶

• Dallas Dotter, Duncan Chaplin, Maria Bartlett. (2021). Impacts of School Reforms in Washington, DC on Student Achievement. Washington, DC: Mathematica. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/impacts-of-school-reforms-in-washington-dc-on-student-achievement