How Reform Works: An Evaluative Study of NSF's Urban Systemic Initiative

这项拟议的研究将1)确定USI计划对城市学区学生成绩和学习基础设施的影响，2)建立一个推论因果模型，将NSF驱动因素和其他关键因素与观察结果联系起来。系统的模型分析将从五个角度进行：1.跨20个USI站点-回顾和比较20个USI站点的系统改革进展，根据学生成绩确定成功的USI模型，并使用统计推断/因果模型进一步探索关键成功因素。通过USI队列--通过参与现有三个队列中的系统改革努力的持续时间和强度来衡量系统影响。逐点纵向分析--对城市系统性举措实施前后的纵向数据进行分析，以衡量系统有效性。USI与非SI--对USI的不同影响进行研究，并通过比较USI与非SI站点来确定影响的归属。国家背景--审查文献和来自其他主要改革努力的调查数据，以确定可以为推论模型的发展提供信息的其他重要的贯穿各领域的变量(除了驱动因素之外)。已提议开展一系列传播活动，包括只读光盘、国际标准化组织情况手册、年度评价性研究报告、定期通讯、国家科学基金会网站材料和专著。

The proposed study will 1) determine the impact of the USI program on student achievement and the learning infrastructure in urban school districts and 2) develop an inferential causal model that related the NSF drivers and other key elements to the outcomes observed. Systemic model analyses will be conducted from five perspectives:1. Across 20 USI sites - reviewing and comparing systemic reform progress across the 20 USI sites, identifying successful USI models based on student outcomes, and further exploring the key success factors using a statistical inference/causal model.2. By USI cohort - measuring the systemic impact by duration and intensity of involvement in systemic reform efforts among the existing three cohorts.3. Longitudinal per site - analyzing longitudinal data to measure system effectiveness before and after the implementation of urban systemic initiatives.4. USI vs. Non-SI - conducting research on the differential impact of USI and allowing attribution of impact by comparing USI to non SI sites.5. National context - reviewing the literature and survey data from other major reform efforts to identify additional significant cross-cutting variables (in addition to the drivers) that can inform development of an inferential model.A range of dissemination activities have been proposed, including CD-ROM USI Fact Book, yearly evaluative research report, periodic newsletters, materials for the NSF website, and monographs.