STRATEGIC EDUCATION RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP INSTITUTE

SCALING STUDENTS' SUCCESS WITH STARI: EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY, SUPPORT, AND SPREAD SERP WAS AWARDED A FIVE-YEAR, 15-MILLION EDUCATION INNOVATION AND RESEARCH (EIR) EXPANSION-PHASE GRANT STARTING IN JANUARY 2023 TO BUILD THE CAPACITY TO SCALE THE STRATEGIC ADOLESCENT READING INTERVENTION (STARI). THIS GRANT WILL SUPPORT THE PROGRAM'S ADOPTION IN FOUR STATES IN DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY, AND TO STUDY ITS EFFECTIVENESS WITH THESE DIFFERENT POPULATIONS. THE GOALS FOR THE PROJECT ARE: 1. TO IMPROVE THE READING SKILLS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS, DEMONSTRATING EFFECTS OF STARI AS COMPARED TO BUSINESS-AS-USUAL ON READING BEHAVIORS, PROXIMAL READING SKILLS (READBASIX), PROGRESS TOWARD MEETING GRADE-LEVEL STANDARDS (STATE TESTS), AND LEADING INDICATORS OF DISTAL OUTCOMES (COURSE PASS RATES). 2. TO BUILD TEACHER CAPACITY FOR EFFECTIVE LITERACY INSTRUCTION AND TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF STARI PROFESSIONAL LEARNING ON TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE. 3. TO DETERMINE FOR WHOM AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS STARI IS MOST EFFECTIVE BY EXAMINING OUTCOMES FOR SUBGROUPS (STUDENTS READING FAR BELOW GRADE LEVEL, STUDENTS WITH IEPS, ENGLISH LEARNERS). 4. TO CREATE AN AFFORDABLE, SUSTAINABLE PACKAGE OF SUPPORTS FOR SCHOOLS THATCHOOSE TO IMPLEMENT STARI OUTSIDE OF A GRANT-FUNDED RESEARCH STUDY. 5. TO DISSEMINATE RESULTS AND EXPAND THE USE OF STARI NATIONWIDE.

SUSTAINING LITERACY PRACTICES OVER TIME: CODIFYING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH MICRO-CREDENTIALING SERP RECEIVED A FOUR-YEAR, TWO-MILLION-DOLLAR GRANT FROM IES TO PARTNER WITH THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS (DCPS), AND A RESEARCH TEAM FROM HARVARD AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND TO DEVELOP AND TEST AN INTERVENTION CONSISTING OF TWO MICRO-CREDENTIAL COURSES. THE FIRST COURSE WILL TARGET EFFECTIVE USE OF STUDENT TIME IN LITERACY CENTERS, A STRUCTURE FOR INSTRUCTION USED IN THE LARGE MAJORITY OF K-2 CLASSROOMS. THE SECOND COURSE WILL TARGET THE USE OF ACADEMICALLY PRODUCTIVE TALK (APT), AN INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE THAT SUPPORTS DEEP READING COMPREHENSION AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT BUT IS NOT WIDELY USED. BOTH COURSES ARE BEING DEVELOPED IN COLLABORATION WITH DCPS LITERACY LEADERS. DCPS K-2 CLASSROOMS FOOTAGE IS BEING COLLECTED AND WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS FEATURING RESEARCHERS AND DCPS LITERACY LEADERS. COURSE CONTENT WILL BE REVISED IN RESPONSE TO FEEDBACK FROM TEACHERS IN USABILITY STUDIES CONDUCTED THROUGH AN ITERATIVE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. SCHOOLS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO PARTICIPATE IN EACH OF THE COURSES IN YEAR 3 OF THE STUDY. ELIGIBLE TEACHERS IN THE TREATMENT SCHOOLS WILL INCLUDE THOSE IN GRADES K-2 WHO ARE IN THEIR FIRST THREE YEARS OF TEACHING, AND THOSE WHO ARE IN WARNING STATUS ON THEIR TEACHER EVALUATION. THE IMPACT OF THE COURSES ON TEACHERS' PRACTICE AND STUDENT LEARNING WILL BE EVALUATED.