Research, Evaluation and Technical Assistance: Student Outcome Effects of the Appalachian Math and Science Partnership

学者和政策制定者越来越强调，改善美国教育成果的一个关键是提高教师的质量。重视职前教师教育固然重要，但要使今天的职前教师占教师队伍的大多数，仍需多年时间。因此，短期内提升教师质素的工作重点，必须是为在职教师提供在职专业发展。该项目正在研究阿巴拉契亚数学与科学伙伴关系(AMSP)对学生学习的影响。该伙伴关系的一个目标是通过AMSP活动缩小学生在数学和科学知识方面的成就差距。这项研究提出了一种统计方法来评估AMSP参与对学生学习的影响。本研究采用一个两方程模型的研究设计来估计教师参与AMSP对学生成绩的独立影响。由于教师和学校自愿选择参加AMSP的事实使估计变得复杂，因此使用了两方程模型。模型的第一个方程修正了选择学校和教师进入AMSP的非随机性，如果不修正，也会对计划效果的估计产生偏差。第二个方程结合了第一阶段的选择估计，并包括了预计会影响考试成绩的其他独立变量。我们使用了其他衡量学生成绩的方法。这个项目意义重大，原因有两个。首先，该项目将直接解决AMSP是否正在改善参与阿巴拉契亚地区的教师和学校的学生成绩。该项目还为建立科学合理的评估MSPS和其他职业发展计划的效果的方法做出了重要贡献。发展统计学和其他方法论方法来研究这些项目的效果的影响，对于提高教师质量和学生在数学和科学方面的学习的全国性运动非常重要。

Academics and policymakers increasingly emphasize that a key to improving educational outcomes in the United States is enhancing the quality of teachers. While the attention to preservice teacher education is important, it will be many years before today's pre-service teachers constitute a majority of the teaching workforce. Hence, the focus of teacher quality enhancement efforts in the near term must be in-service professional development for those already in the teacher workforce. This project is examining the Appalachian Math and Science Partnership (AMSP) effects on student learning. A goal of the partnership is to close the achievement gap in student math and science knowledge through AMSP activities. This study presents a statistical method for evaluating the effects of AMSP participation on student learning. This project employs a research design that involves a two equation model to estimate the independent effects of teacher participation in AMSP on student outcomes. A two equation model is used because estimation is complicated by the fact that teachers and schools voluntarily choose to participate in AMSP. The first equation of the model corrects for the nonrandom nature of selection of schools and teachers into AMSP which, when uncorrected, can also bias the estimates of the program effects. The second equation incorporates the first stage selection estimates and includes other independent variables that would be expected to influence test scores. Alternative measures of student achievement are used.This project is significant for two reasons. First,the project will directly address whether AMSP is improving student outcomes among participating Appalachian teachers and schools. This project also makes an important contribution in establishing a scientifically sound method for evaluating the effects of MSPs and other professional development programs. Developing statistical and other methodological approaches to studying the impact of the effects of these programs is important in the national movement to improve teacher quality and student learning in math and science.