blog posts and news stories

Spring 2018 Conference Season is Taking Shape

We’ll be on the road again this spring.

SREE

Andrew Jaciw and Denis Newman will be in Washington DC for the annual spring conference of the The Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE), the premier conference on rigorous research. Andrew Jaciw will present his paper: Leveraging Fidelity Data to Making Sense of Impact Results: Informing Practice through Research. His presentation will be a part of Session 2I: Research Methods - Post-Random Assignment Models: Fidelity, Attrition, Mediation & More from 8-10am on Thursday, March 1.

SXSW EDU

In March, Denis Newman will be attending SXSW EDU Conference & Festival in Austin, TX and presenting on a panel along with Malvika Bhagwat, Jason Palmer, and Karen Billings titled Can Evidence Even Keep Up with EdTech? This will address how researchers and companies can produce evidence that products work—in time for educators and administrators to make a knowledgeable buying decision under accelerating timelines.

AERA

Empirical staff will be presenting in 4 different sessions at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in NYC in April, all under Division H (Research, Evaluation, and Assessment in Schools).

1. For Quasi-experiments on Edtech Products, What Counts as Being Treated?
2. Teacher evaluation rubric properties and associations with school characteristics: Evidence from the Texas evaluation system
3. Indicators of Successful Teacher Recruitment and Retention in Oklahoma Rural Schools
4. The Challenges and Successes of Conducting Large-scale Educational Research

In addition to these presentations, we are planning another of our celebrated receptions in NYC so stay tuned for details.

ISTE

A panel on our Research Guidelines has been accepted at this major convention, considered the epicenter of edtech with thousands of users and 100s of companies, held this year in Chicago from June 24–27.

Empirical Education Visits Chicago

We had such a great time in windy Chicago last month for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). All of the presentations we attended were thought-provoking, and our presentations also seemed to be well-received.

The highlight of our trip, as always, was our annual reception. This year was our first time entertaining friends in a presidential suite, and the one at the Fairmont did not disappoint. Thanks to everyone who came and enjoyed an HLM, our signature cocktail. (The Hendricks Lemontwist Martini of course, what else would it stand for?)

Many of the pictures taken at our AERA reception can be found on facebook, but here is a sneak peek of some of our favorites.

Conference Season 2015

Empirical researchers are traveling all over the country this conference season. Come meet our researchers as we discuss our work at the following events. If you plan to attend any of these, please get in touch so we can schedule a time to speak with you, or come by to see us at our presentations.

AEFP

We are pleased to announce that we will have our fifth appearance at the 40th annual conference of the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP). Join us in the afternoon on Friday, February 27th at the Marriott Wardman Park, Washington DC as Empirical’s Senior Research Scientist Valeriy Lazarev and CEO Denis Newman present on Methods of Teacher Evaluation in Concurrent Session 7. Denis will also be the acting discussant and chair on Friday morning at 8am in Session 4.07 titled Preparation/Certification and Evaluation of Leaders/Teachers.

SREE

Attendees of this spring’s Society for Research on Effectiveness (SREE) Conference, held in Washington, DC March 5-7, will have the opportunity to discuss instructional strategies and programs to improve mathematics with Empirical Education’s Chief Scientist Andrew P. Jaciw. The presentation, Assessing Impacts of Math in Focus, a ‘Singapore Math’ Program for American Schools, will take place on Friday, March 6 at 1pm in the Park Hyatt Hotel, Ballroom Level Gallery 3.

ASCD

This year’s 70th annual conference for ASCD will take place in Houston, TX on March 21-23. We invite you to schedule a meeting with CEO Denis Newman while he’s there.

AERA

We will again be presenting at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Join the Empirical Education team in Chicago, Illinois from April 16-20, 2015. Our presentations will cover research under the Division H (Research, Evaluation, and Assessment in Schools) Section 2 symposium: Program Evaluation in Schools.

1. Formative Evaluation on the Process of Scaling Up Reading Apprenticeship Authors: Jenna Lynn Zacamy, Megan Toby, Andrew P. Jaciw, and Denis Newman
2. The Evaluation of Internet-based Reading Apprenticeship Improving Science Education (iRAISE) Authors: Megan Toby, Jenna Lynn Zacamy, Andrew P. Jaciw, and Denis Newman

We look forward to seeing you at our sessions to discuss our research. As soon as we have the schedule for these presentations, we will post them here. As has become tradition, we plan to host yet another of our popular AERA receptions. Details about the reception will follow in the months to come.

We Turned 10!

Happy birthday to us, happy birthday to us, happy birthday to Empirical Education, happy birthday to us!

This month we turn 10 years old! We can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with all of our friends at a birthday party at AERA next month.

If you aren’t able to attend our birthday party, we’ll also be presenting at SREE this week and at AERA next month.

Research Topics will include:

• SREE: Developing an Aggregate Metric of Teaching Practice for Use in Mediator Analysis

• AERA: An Examination of Non-linear Relationships

• AERA: The Challenge of Replication in the Social Sciences

• AERA: English Proficiency and Academic Achievement of Students Exiting ESOL Programs in Georgia

We look forward to seeing you at our sessions to discuss our research.

Pictures from the party are on our facebook page, but here’s a sneak peek.

Empirical Presents at AERA 2012

We will again be presenting at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Join the Empirical Education team in Vancouver, Canada from April 13 – 17, 2012. Our presentations will span two divisions: 1) Measurement and Research Methodology and 2) Research, Evaluation and Assessment in Schools.

Research Topics will include:

Current Studies in Program Evaluation to Improve Student Achievement Outcomes

Evaluating Alabama’s Math, Science and Technology Initiative: Results of a Three-Year, State-Wide Randomized Experiment

Accommodating Data From Quasi–Experimental Design

Quantitative Approaches to the Evaluation of Literacy Programs and Instruction for Elementary and Secondary Students

We look forward to seeing you at our sessions to discuss our research. You can also download our presentation schedule here. As has become tradition, we plan to host yet another of our popular AERA receptions. Details about the reception will follow in the months to come.

Empirical Education at AERA 2011

Empirical is excited to announce that we will again have a strong showing at the 2011 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference. Join us in festive New Orleans, LA, April 8-12 for the final results on the efficacy of the PCI Reading Program, our findings from the first year of formative research on our MeasureResults program evaluation tool, and more. Visit our website in the coming months to view our AERA presentation schedule and details about our annual reception—we hope to see you there!

Four Presentations Accepted for AERA 2010

Empirical Education will be heading to the snow-capped mountains of Denver, Colorado next April! Once again, Empirical will have a strong showing at the 2010 American Educational Research Association conference, which will be held at the Colorado Convention Center on April 30 — May 4, 2010. Our presentations will span several divisions, including Learning & Instruction; Measurement & Research Methodology; and Research, Evaluation, & Assessment in Schools. Research topics will include:

• Examining the Efficacy of a Sight-Word Reading Program for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Phase 2

• Matched Pairs, ICCs and R-squared: Lessons from Several Effectiveness Trials in Education

• Addressing Challenges of Within School Randomization

• Measuring the Impact of a Math Program As It Is Rolled Out Over Several Years

In line with our past 2 years of successful AERA receptions, Empirical Education plans to host another “meet and greet” at this year’s conference as well. Join our mailing list to receive the details.

Five Presentations Accepted for AERA 2009

Empirical Education will be heading to sunny San Diego next April! Once again, Empirical will have a strong showing at the 2009 American Educational Research Association conference, which will be held in downtown San Diego on April 13-17, 2009. Our presentations will span several divisions, including Learning & Instruction, Measurement & Research Methodology, and Research, Evaluation, & Assessment in Schools. Research topics will include:

• Examining the Efficacy of a Sight-Word Reading Program for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

• Probing the Contents of the Black Box: Complementary Approaches to Answering the How of “What Works”

• Estimating Program Impacts After the Control Group Joins Treatment: Comparing Extra- and Quasi-experimental Methods

As a follow-up to our successful 2008 AERA New York reception at Henri Bendel’s Chocolate Room, Empirical Education plans to host another “meet and greet” at this year’s conference as well. Details about the reception will be announced on our website soon.