Secondary Data Analysis

Selected Projects Include

  • Photo courtesy of Dean Hochman via CC licensing.

    East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Learning Without Borders

    The East Bay Center for the Performing Arts (EBCPA) Learning without Borders (LWOB) professional development program served elementary school teachers in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. Through professional development workshops, coaching, and in-class visits from artists, the program aimed to increase the capacity and confidence of the teachers to integrate arts with other core subject areas. REA collected survey, focus group, and pre- and post-test data from the participating teachers, and this data led to important insights about the teachers’ expectations for the program, feedback about the program, perceptions of the program’s impacts, and recommendations for the program moving forward.

  • Photo: Courtesy of Keith Ellison via CC licensing.

    National History Day

    REA conducted a year-long evaluation of the National History Day (NHD) program, which serves more than half a million students annually. A diverse group of 500 students in four states in the NHD and comparison-group reported that the NHD program helped them to acquire critical thinking and communication skills, a mature understanding of past and current events, and college-level research skills. NHD students also outperformed their peers on statewide standardized assessments.

    Report: Evaluation Report
  • Photo courtesy of Tim Farrell, New Visions.

    New Visions Hunter College: Urban Teacher Residency Program

    A 10-year partnership between New Visions for Public Schools, Hunter College, and the New York City Department of Education, the Urban Teacher residency (UTR) program was funded through multiple U.S. Department of Education grants, along with the Mathematics and Science Teacher Education Residency (MASTER), funded by the National Science Foundation. The programs focused on the placement of new secondary teachers in high-needs classrooms in New York City where resident teachers were trained alongside a mentor teacher during a year-long residency. Rockman et al, served as the external evaluator to assess the impact and implementation of training on student performance, teacher practice and school culture.
    Report: 2018 Summative Report for New Visions for Public Schools – Hunter College Urban Teacher Residency Project

  • Tech Know Build

    The TechKnowBuild project was a partnership between the Crawfordsville Community Schools and Indianapolis Public Schools that provided “one to one” laptop computers and wireless Internet access to 2,500 middle school students and approximately 100 teachers, combining ubiquitous computing and problem-based learning. As the external evaluator, REA assessed impacts on teachers and students through suveys and secondary data analyses. During the final year, student achievement was measured by standardized test scores and writing prompts. Almost all teachers incorporated internet research and exploration, one of the most popular and regular use of laptops, and generally found problem-based learning to be an effective way to meet their academic content standards. REA found that problem-based learning activities increased students’ engagement in school, and gave students a sense of ownership for the topics they researched and a deeper awareness of community issues and their roles as citizens.

    Report: One to One Laptop Programs
  • Photo courtesy of Tim Farrell, New Visions.

    New Visions Accessing Algebra through Inquiry (a2i)

    Accessing Algebra Through Inquiry (a2i) was a high school mathematics project conducted by New Visions for Public Schools (New Visions), in partnership with the Silicon Valley Mathematics Initiative (SVMI) and the New York City Department of Education. The project was supported with a 2013 i3 validation grant (#U411B110116) from the U.S. Department of Education. Rockman et al (REA) conducted the independent evaluation of a2i. The central focus of a2i was on the use of high-quality formative assessment processes to help teachers implement high standards and create effective math learning environments. The major categories of support for teachers included: (a) inquiry teams focused on data-driven instructional practices, (b) adaptable formative assessment lessons and strategies, and (c) instructional coaches. A quasi-experimental study involving 40 schools (across 2 cohorts) compared the effectiveness of a2i on students’ achievement in algebra and geometry compared to business-as-usual instruction in matched comparison schools. While the main findings did reveal statistically positive effects of a2i instruction on state standardized test performances, additional analyses by REA found evidence of improved achievement during the second year of the study after professional development was restructured and day-to-day pedagogical practices were introduced. REA evaluation of classroom changes revealed that students engaged in more group work, talked more about math, and solved problems collaboratively.

    Report: Accessing Algebra Through Inquiry Final Report
  • Photo courtesy of spacedust2019 via CC licensing.

    California Academy of Sciences

    Over a 4 year period, Rockman et al has conducted more than a dozen evaluation and research projects with the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco using onsite and online surveys, visitor intercepts, interviews, focus groups and observations with members and visitors. Evaluation projects include formative and summative evaluation of exhibits, planetarium shows, museum websites, and K-12 school field trip programs, as well as summative evaluation of teacher professional development programs, curriculum kits and evening programs for adults. REA has also delivered research studies on capacity building, institutional partnerships, and organizational development.

  • Star Schools

    Rockman et al conducted a three-year study of the impact of the online, Supplementary Education Services (SES) provided by Educate Online, Inc. (EO), funded by the Star Schools Program of the U.S. Department of Education. The evaluation activities under the grant measured the effectiveness of Catapult Online, a real-time, one-on-one tutoring service designed to address the needs of underserved rural, middle and high school students. The formative and summative evaluations examined online student assessment instruments, content, delivery mechanism, and the enhanced parental communication via mobile technology. REA also conducted a five-year evaluation of critical issues associated with the delivery of SES via online technologies in rural and urban areas. Among these issues were strategies for motivating and engaging middle and high schools students in remedial and supplemental programs, serving the needs of students with limited English proficiency, the impact of evolving technology platforms on the delivery of instructional programs, and emerging online assessments.

    Report: starschoolsreport

  • Soundvision

    REA has provided formative evaluation for Burn: An Energy Journal, a 3-part, public radio documentary from the award-winning SoundVision Productions, and is currently conducting the summative evaluation. Hosted by Alex Chadwick, the NSF-funded programs and web resources explore the impact of energy issues on our society.

  • Photo courtesy of mysapl via CC licensing.

    The Big Read

    The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest designed to bring communities together to celebrate reading. REA conducted a 19-month study of The Big Read to learn more about how communities held a Big Read—what books they chose, what partners they enlisted, what promotional and programming strategies they devised, what NEA resources they used, and what audiences they reached. The study, based on data from over 300 communities, also explored the project’s success in its overarching goal of restoring reading to the center of American culture. REA used a mixed-methods design that included feedback forms from Big Read events, surveys of participants and grantees, reviews of grantee reports required by the project, and tabular data on attendance, circulation, and partnerships from Arts Midwest. We also conducted a series of 36 case studies.

    Report: The-Big-Read-Final-Report

  • Microsoft Anytime Anywhere Learning

    Rockman et al conducted a three-year study of the introduction of “one to one” laptop computing in U.S. public and independent schools (1996-1999), reporting on types of implementation, classroom and home laptop use, and changes in pedagogy and teacher and student attitudes. The study was funded by Microsoft and Toshiba.

    Report: Anytime Anywhere Learning Report
  • Kaoru Watanabe © Akiko Nishimura

    American Museum of Natural History “Traveling the Silk Road”

    Rockman et al faciliated a collaborative evaluation with staff at the American Museum of Natural History for the exhibition: “Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World.” This evaluation explored visitors’ interest in and understanding of the exhibition and related programming and sought to integrate museum staff and volunteers throughout the process of instrument development, data collection, analysis, and reporting. The collaborative, cross-departmental evaluation effort utimately yielded greater understanding and buy-in for evaluation findings and identified meaningful outcomes, such as connections between special programming and subsequent visitor engagement and learning.

    Report: American Museum of Natural History Silkroad Exhibition
  • Photo courtesy of Julie Lindsay via CC licensing.

    Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship Project

    In collaboration with Grunwald Associates, REA conducted a market research literature review to explore and forecast the role of entrepreneurship pathways in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming.