Reports

This report summarizes the final results of the Future Forward Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Scale-Up grant awarded to Education Analytics in 2021. Through this grant, the number of schools receiving Future Forward increased to 20, extending the program to a larger number of schools and students. However, the results suggest that Future Forward was unable to realize an impact with the increased number of schools. So, while Future Forward was scaled up, it was not scaled up to be effective. The results of the scale up grant suggest is that any future expansion of the program should be done more thoughtfully, with careful consideration for how to do it in a cost-effective way. The EIR Scale Up grant required Future Forward to be scaled up too quickly. Future scaling up efforts should be more measured about which schools to partner with, how to leverage local resources to staff programs, and identify other ways to reduce costs.

Future Forward is an early primary literacy program that pairs one-on-one tutoring with family engagement. As part of an Education Intervention and Research Mid-phase grant, the evaluation of the 2021– 2022 Future Forward program included 127 students in three schools, with 65 randomly assigned to received Future Forward in the fall of 2021 and the other 62 randomly assigned to business-as-usual reading instruction. To serve more students in the wake of COVID-19 school disruptions, program participation was changed from one school year to one semester. All but two students received the intended amount of tutoring of at least two sessions per week. Regarding family engagement,
64.5% of families were contacted at least once per month. School attendance, Star Early Literacy, and DIBELS 8th Edition outcomes were modeled adjusting for the fixed effect of assignment block, student demographics, baseline reading and baseline attendance. Future Forward had statistically significant positive impacts on both Star Early Literacy and DIBELS, with a differential positive impact on students of color. Future Forward did not impact school attendance.

We summarize the progress made by the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin supporting the development of 72 freshwater-focused projects and training opportunities across 13 University of Wisconsin Institutions.

Executive Summary (PDF)

This study is the second in a series examining the bias and discrimination affecting Wisconsin teachers of color, as reflected in their performance feedback. In the first study (Jones, Gilman, Reeves, & Rainey, 2021) we found that teachers of color and male teachers receive lower effectiveness ratings across and within schools. The reasons for this were not entirely clear. This second study in the series is designed to isolate any possible racialized or gendered interpersonal bias that might help explain the lower ratings assigned to teachers of color.

The evaluation of cohort four of the Wisconsin Urban Leadership Institute again demonstrated that participants developed critical skills for acting as change agents in their schools and districts. The education context in Wisconsin and nationally posed a challenge to participants in completing their engagement and to the Institute for engaging school leaders. This resulted in reduced participation and engagement of school leaders. Those that completed the program received critical guidance and support for moving their school toward a more equitable and inclusive place.

Findings from participant observation suggest Wisconsin Urban Leadership Institute participants gain the ability to critically examine their own understandings of race, racism, and biases. Over time, participants appear to also complete the program with an increased ability to identify school and district practices that perpetuate harm to students and families in schools. All responding participants felt they were leaving the Wisconsin Urban Leadership Institute understanding their implicit bias, how implicit bias impacts their leadership, how racism affects their students, and how their own behaviors contribute to racial inequity. Further, all participants felt they were now able to impact racial equity in their school and identify strategies for promoting equity in their school’s practices and policies.

Future Forward is an early elementary literacy program that integrates one-on-one tutoring with family engagement to support literacy skill-building and the social development of students. In the 2020-21 school year, as part of an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Mid-Phase grant, the impact of Future Forward on reading achievement was tested with a randomized control study of students in nine schools. Although not statistically significant, the overall impact of Future Forward was estimated at between 0.09 and 0.10 standard deviations, depending on model specifications. A smaller number of schools and implementation challenges, both resulting from COVID-19, hindered our ability to measure the impact of Future Forward. Even considering the reduced power of the study and implementation challenges, we found strong evidence that Future Forward had a positive impact on underserved students facing more challenges learning to read. Future Forward had roughly three times the impact on Black students (0.34 standard deviations, p =.095) and five times the impact on Black male students (0.54 standard deviation, p =.052) than the overall impact. Black male students with more developed reading skills benefitted even more from their participation in Future Forward (0.74 standard deviations, p < .001).

In this report from the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness Research Partnership, school administrators and teachers share their experiences promoting equity in their schools. The results suggest some schools see promoting equity as a critical need. However, most other schools are only somewhat focused on it. Schools engaging in equity has typically involved superficial efforts such as book groups. Few schools have engaged in the systemic changes necessary to promote equity.

This study is the first in a series examining the bias and discrimination affecting Wisconsin educators of color. In this study, we examine statewide effectiveness ratings data of over 55,000 educators for evidence of bias and discrimination. The results of this study suggest ratings assigned to educators of color are discriminatory. Administrators view White female educators as the most effective, with Black and Asian male educators viewed as the least effective; 89% and 78% of White female educators are rated as more effective than the average Black and Latinx male educator, respectively. This was true even when comparing the ratings of educators with the same credentials and in the same schools. However, the performance appraisal process is likely just the tip of the iceberg regarding the negative impacts of bias on educators of color. The ratings reflect underlying biases that affect their experiences in ways that go deeper than the scope of this paper.

The AVID program is designed to complement and support students who are in the middle tier academically at their schools who would benefit from extra supports to enroll and succeed in college. This is done through enrollment in the AVID elective, which builds students’ study skills, organizational skills, and critical thinking skills.

Interviews suggested benefits to students who take AVID. These related to individual skill-building, relationships built through being a part of an AVID cohort.