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Education Evaluation: Where Research and Policy Intersect

Explore the history, recent projects, and lessons learned from the Center for Education & Evaluation Policy (CEEP). Learn how CEEP improves education through nonpartisan research and evaluation, and encourages rigorous program evaluation.

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Education Evaluation: Where Research and Policy Intersect

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  1. Education Evaluation: Where Research and Policy Intersect Jonathan Plucker, Director April 8, 2009

  2. Topics for Discussion • Brief history of CEEP • Some Recent Evaluation Projects • Lessons Learned

  3. CEEP History • Formed in January 2004 by merging two smaller centers • Indiana Education Policy Center • Indiana Center for Evaluation • Longest year and a half of my professional life

  4. The Center Mission is to … • Improve education by providing nonpartisan information, research, and evaluation on education issues to policymakers and other education stakeholders. • Encourage rigorous program evaluation across a variety of settings by providing evaluation expertise and services to diverse agencies, organizations, and businesses. • Expand knowledge of effective strategies in evaluation and policy research by developing, modeling, and disseminating innovative approaches to program evaluation and policy research.

  5. Current Capabilities • People • ~100 people, 70 FTE (+ “highly involved” faculty) • 25-30 graduate assistantships, dozens hourly • Organization • Director, 2 assoc directors, asst director • Facilities • Parts of three floors in Eigenmann

  6. Externally-Funded Projects

  7. Current and Recent Activities • KY and IN 21st CCLC projects • Lev Tech • US ED Technical Asssitance • Alternative school evals and tech assistance • IDOE & GADOE charters, SyF ERC evaluation, alternative education, Cleveland voucher study, homeschooling • IES evaluation

  8. Some Current Projects

  9. SYF ERC Evaluation • SYF facilitates alternative high schools • Comprehensive evaluation of most ERCs • Site visits, analysis of existing data • Report to BoD well-received, recommendations generally followed • Bumpy ride at times …

  10. Georgia Charter Evaluation • Longshot RFP • Great kickoff meeting … • … but no follow-through • Yearlong project compressed to a month • Analysis of existing data • Many GADOE staff changes • Directly led to legislative changes

  11. Indiana Charter Evaluation • Read about it in state budget • Bumpy kickoff … • Warning from professional association • 2-year project compressed to 4 months • Analysis of existing data • Both foes and advocates deliberately distorted results … • … but that was expected (to a point)

  12. SOE Principal Evaluation • Study of principal assessments of SOE teacher education graduates • Follow-up to graduate survey • Phone, e-mail, and on-line components • Internal politics considerable but manageable • However, they complicate the methodological challenges

  13. What Have We Learned?

  14. 1. Evaluation is so much messier than you can possibly imagine …

  15. Efforts fail D gov proposes FDK R gov candidate supports FDK Time passes (1999-2003) House Ds aren’t very healthy House ways and means hearing Everyone supports FDK! Good news, right? Lots of media coverage Big, closely contested election later in year Webcamgate Full House votes FDK and funding Separated in D controlled House Record deficit Public opinion 60-40 House education hearing FDK passes, funding bill doesn’t Public opinion 45-45 Several IU faculty testify Everyone supports FDK! Good news, right? • Results: • Big, closely • contested election • Record deficit • PO: 60+ to 40- • Lots of angry people • Several good, stalled • bills • No FDK Action moves to heavily R senate Senate education hearing Conf comm to reconcile S and H actions Education bills from both houses get killed I testify again (ouch) D gov and R IDOE get it worse Committee sends funding to study committee A few education groups decide to oppose bill for financial reasons Things get ugly (or uglier) How Research and Policy are Related (in reality) Ed Roundtable supports FDK in P-16 plan Previous governor, with record surplus, introduces FDK bill with state supt support

  16. 2. … but so much more important.

  17. 3. Ethics are a constant concern. 60+ grants and contracts + 20+ self-funded projects + ~100 people + dozens of clients + clients’ internal and external political issues = lots of ethical quandries

  18. 4. Faculty, esp. senior faculty, are hard to get on board. I don’t blame them at all: Empire building, lack of credit, promotion concerns, etc.

  19. 5. Making valuable intellectual contributions in the current context is very difficult … … but hardly impossible.

  20. 6. Life would be simpler yetmore exciting if everyoneused logic models

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