Investigate schools that sustain outperformance or beat the odds using qualitative methods and engagement data to identify amenable growth factors¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The authors propose a forward-looking research strategy: add Grade 3 data, then study two types of schools — those maintaining the outperforming status and those beating the odds — to formulate hypotheses about change ideas. They argue that "Qualitative methods such as interviews would be powerful for illuminating those schools' instructional practices and leadership efforts that serve to adapt to their local conditions", and that i-Ready Personalized Instruction data can be leveraged to construct school-level engagement measures.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Longitudinal data across at least three school years (adding Grade 3)
• Access to school-level engagement measures from i-Ready Personalized Instruction and qualitative access via interviews

Constraints¶

• This is a proposed future direction, not a tested intervention; the authors note the fragility of growth status may be confounded with grade-level teachers within schools

Target Learners¶

• Grade 1 through Grade 3 elementary students in schools with varying growth statuses

Target Learning Goals¶

• Sustaining or improving school-level mathematics learning growth

Related Strategies¶

• Use positive-deviance school identification and engagement process indicators to target supports and future research on growth variation

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Yamada, H. (2024). New Normal in Early Elementary Mathematics Learning: Part II - School Level Variation in Growth in Grades 1 and 2. E4 Center, Northwestern University. https://e4.northwestern.edu/2024/06/25/new-normal-in-early-elementary-mathematics-learning-part-ii-school-level-variation-in-growth-in-grades-1-and-2/