2010 Banner

Return to search form  

Contact emails are provided for one-to-one contact only and may not be used for mass emailing or group solicitations.

In a 90 minute Roundtable session, the first rotation uses the first 45 minutes and the second rotation uses the last 45 minutes.
Roundtable Rotation I: Learning About Educational Reform From a Seven-Year Math-Science Partnership
Roundtable Presentation 223 to be held in BONHAM A on Thursday, Nov 11, 9:15 AM to 10:45 AM
Sponsored by the Pre-K - 12 Educational Evaluation TIG and the Independent Consulting TIG
Presenter(s):
Cynthia Tananis, University of Pittsburgh, tananis@pitt.edu
Cara Ciminillo, University of Pittsburgh, ciminill@pitt.edu
Tracy Pelkowski, University of Pittsburgh, ceac@pitt.edu
Keith Trahan, University of Pittsburgh, ceac@pitt.edu
Yuanyuan Wang, University of Pittsburgh, ceac@pitt.edu
Gail Yamnitzky, University of Pittsburgh, ceac@pitt.edu
Rebecca Price, University of Pittsburgh, ceac@pitt.edu
Abstract: Bring together 53 school districts, four IHEs, four intermediate units (local agencies of the state department of education), three evaluation groups, thousands of teachers and administrators --- focus on changing culture, professional development, teaching and learning --- add millions of dollars, and what do you get? The NSF and Education Department have funded Math-Science Partnerships (MSP) for a number of years, collectively designed to impact the math-science pipeline of qualified students through the PK-16 system and simultaneously increasing the quality of the math-science teacher workforce. This presentation and discussion summarizes the extensive, collaborative research and evaluation efforts in the Southwest Pennsylvania MSP across seven years and presents a summary of what we have learned, how we learned it, and, importantly, what we were unable to learn from the evaluation and project. The session focuses on the findings of the evaluation but also offers insights about conducting longer-term, collaborative evaluation in the area of educational reform across complex and evolving systems.
Roundtable Rotation II: When Quality and Policy Collide in Evaluating Math-Science Partnership Programs: Strategies for Resolution
Roundtable Presentation 223 to be held in BONHAM A on Thursday, Nov 11, 9:15 AM to 10:45 AM
Sponsored by the Pre-K - 12 Educational Evaluation TIG and the Independent Consulting TIG
Presenter(s):
MaryLynn Quartaroli, Professional Evaluation & Assessment Consultants, marylynn.quartaroli@nau.edu
Hollace Bristol, Coconino County Education Services Agency, hbristol@coconino.az.gov
Abstract: The US Department of Education’s Mathematics and Science Partnership (MSP) competitive grant programs encourage partnerships between local school districts and universities to collaboratively engage in professional development activities aimed at increasing teachers’ content knowledge and improving pedagogical practices. However, determining the quality of these programs can be a contested area, in terms of what constitutes meaningful evidence for the stakeholders: federal agency, state departments of education, local educational agency, higher education instructional teams, and participating teachers and administrators. This conflict most often arises when the context for the evaluation is so different: for the source(s) of funding, “quality-as-measured” is likely sufficient; for the local agency, instructional team, and teachers, “quality-as-experienced” may be more important and useful. In these circumstances, the independent evaluator can find it problematic to provide high quality evaluations and to maintain high quality relationships with both levels of funding agencies. This session will examine these critical issues.

 Return to Evaluation 2010

Add to Custom Program