Research

My focus in teaching and in research has been on bringing educators to the table with researchers to collaboratively generate usable knowledge and data tools for educational improvement.

Current projects include the IES-funded Collaborative of Colorado Residency Educators, a comparative partnership study of teacher preparation in residency models; the Student-Centered Accountability Program, providing research and development support for this innovative accountability approach with numerous rural district partners; and a mult-year partnered implementation and innovation study of systemic supports for Social Emotional Learning.

Prior large-scale, multi-site efforts that I have managed in collaboration with district partners as PI or Co-PI include an IES-funded study of novice teacher preparation and core competencies (with 21 prep programs in Colorado); the Channel Analysis study of novice teachers in Denver Public Schools (6 IHEs and 3 alternative route providers, 2009-2011); Profiles of Teacher Proficiency (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with state departments of education and higher education and a district partner); and the Ohio Teacher Quality Partnership studies (51 IHEs, state departments of education and higher education, $5+million various sources).

Between 1990 and 2006, I worked actively with all of the professional associations that developed national standards, including serving as executive director of the Alliance for Curriculum Reform from 1998 to 2006; was one of 6 authors of the national theatre standards; served on the national steering committee developing the 1997 NAEP assessment for the arts; and worked closely with the 20 national associations facilitating their work on the National Study of School Evaluation’s new accreditation and program evaluation resources and the curriculum mapping effort of AAAS/Project 2061.