The Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO) is a part of the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) at the University of Notre Dame. We conduct basic and applied research on schools and the learning process. Learn More >>>
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Education Journalist John Merrow to be CREO Seminar Guest Speaker
March 15, 2012
John Merrow will be the guest speaker in the semester’s capstone CREO Seminar. Merrow's talk will take place at the Remick Commons of Carole Sandner Hall on Monday, April 30, 2012, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Merrow is a nationally recognized journalist who provides insightful, in-depth coverage of education issues as head of the nonprofit production company, Learning Matters. He and his team produce reports for PBS NewsHour and other media. An education reporter since 1974, he provides news and commentary through books, newspapers, podcasts, and a blog called Taking Note
Mark Berends Appointed to Editorial Team for Educational Evaluation & Policy Analysis
February 21, 2012
CREO Director , IEI Fellow , and Sociology Professor Mark Berends has been appointed to the editorial team for Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Research
Teacher Effectiveness in Indiana
With funding from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, Mark Berends and David Stuit (Basis Policy Research) are examining value-added models of teacher effectiveness based on different assessments in mathematics and reading. Value-added models refer to a collection of statistical techniques that are designed to estimate the “effects” of teachers (or schools) based on the changes in students’ test scores over time. In theory, value-added models provide a more accurate estimate of what individual teachers contribute to student learning, but in practice they involve technical challenges and much debate. Several states and districts are moving toward incorporating the results of value-added models into their evaluations of teachers and other human resource decisions (e.g., recruitment, termination, and compensation). In light of this trend, it is critical for policymakers and practitioners to have a sound understanding of the technical issues related to the accuracy of teachers’ value-added estimates. To date, much of the technical research on value-added focuses on how different statistical models influence teachers’ value-added estimates. Less attention has been paid to how different test scores used in the models influence teachers’ value-added estimates. The purpose of study is to provide insight into this important issue to both policymakers and practitioners.
Catholic School Effectiveness
With funding from the Walton Family Foundation, the University of Notre Dame is initiating a project to collect and analyze student achievement data from Catholic schools across the country. The research will obtain longitudinal student test score and other outcome data from Catholic schools in nine cities across the United States, which data will then be used to study how students, schools, and communities contribute to student learning in Catholic schools and to help schools guide their improvement efforts.
