ICRE’s current projects span a range of topics

University-based Teacher Residency Models, Teacher Induction, Career Pathways and Work-based Learning, Transition and employment outcomes, Early Childhood, Computer Science, STEM Professional Development Models, Student Mental Health, Community College Transfer Students, Equitable Access to Advanced Coursework in K12, and Professional Development for Culturally Responsive Teaching. 

A sample of ICRE’s recent projects

CodeRVA Regional Magnet School

CodeRVA Regional High School is a computer-science-themed magnet school that opened in Richmond, Virginia, in 2017, supported by a four-year federal Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) grant. The school enrolls students from 15 central Virginia school divisions by means of a weighted random lottery admissions process, designed to increase equity in terms of access to the education it offers, and to ensure that the student body reflects the demographic composition of participating divisions. The evaluation, led by Amy Corning, included research to support the school’s program implementation and development, as well as a quasi-experiment that leveraged the school’s lottery admissions process and data from the Virginia Longitudinal Data System to assess impact by comparing outcomes for admitted and non-admitted students.

Corning, A, Broda, M.D., Lucas, B., Becker, J.D, & Bae, C.L. (2023). An inclusive school for computer science: Evaluating early impact with propensity score matching. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2023.101293 

Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership

Funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) is a multi-sector initiative to expand and develop work-based learning (WBL) opportunities through resources and a system of V-TOP regional collaboratives. The statewide initiative is designed to enhance the quality of WBL experiences for Virginia’s students and hosting organizations, and to increase the number of high-quality opportunities available. The developmental evaluation, led by Amy Corning and Jesse Senechal, is designed to clarify program goals, contribute to a program theory of change, and identify needs for data and potential for future impact evaluation.  This mixed-methods evaluation has led to a review of the literature on work-based learning, a model of the WBL system, and case studies of several V-TOP regional collaboratives. 

Naff, D. Corning, A., Ellison, M., Sumrell, A., Ilkorkor, Z.S., Murphy, J., & Cross, C. (2023) Understanding the implications of work-based learning for students, PK-12 school systems, institutions of higher education, and hosting organizations. MERC Research Report. 

Evaluation of the University of Buffalo Teacher Residency (UBTR) 

Funded through two grants from the US Department of Education, this project involves a multi-year mixed-method evaluation to study the implementation and impact of a teacher residency model. UBTR is a partnership between the University of Buffalo and Buffalo area school districts. Led by Jesse Senechal, the evaluation uses a collaborative evaluation approach to support program design and implementation, as well as consider the impact of the UBTR program on teacher development, and student achievement over time.  

Virginia’s Prenatal-to-Three Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS)

Virginia’s ECCS P-3 project is led by Virginia’s Department of Health and is a collaboration between VCU’s Partnership for People with Disabilities and the Children’s Hospital of Richmond. funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration. The five-year project aims to build strong systems of care for the prenatal to three (P-3) population by: building on existing systems that support families and their young children’s socio-emotional development as well as their physical and mental health. The mixed methods evaluation, led by Paula Ogston-Nobile, has the following goals: 1) Identify strategies for effectively building family leadership qualities/behaviors and engaging family leaders in the ECCS initiative; 2) Identify strategies for improving communication and collaboration among P-3 system organizations/agencies who are engaged in the ECCS initiative; 3) Identify strategies for enhancing the coordination of service delivery for those served by P-3 system organizations/agencies who are engaged in the ECCS initiative. The evaluation has resulted in an asset and gap analysis of Virginia’s prenatal-to-three system. 

Buck, D., Geldmaker, B., Grey, F., Nelson, B., Ogston-Nobile, P., Yarbrough, D. (2022). Virginia's prenatal-to-three early childhood comprehensive systems: System asset and gap analysis. 

Henrico County Public Schools Annual Stakeholder Survey

Henrico County Public Schools is one of the foundational members of the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). Led by David Naff, the ICRE partners with the Department of Assessment, Research, and Evaluation in HCPS to conduct an annual survey of their students, staff, and families. Aligned with the HCPS strategic plan, this project offers evidence of how the division is progressing on its cornerstones by focusing on input from their key stakeholder groups. In addition to a static report, the ICRE produces a series of online dashboards for school division personnel and school administrators to interact with their data and use it to inform decision making and goal setting for the upcoming school year. 

Project PEACE

Project PEACE is a five-year grant awarded to the Partnership for People with Disabilities at VCU. The project is funded by the Administration for Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Project PEACE aims to improve collaboration between local systems to provide a smooth and efficient experience for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities as they transition from school to work in the community. Paula Ogston-Nobile is the project’s evaluator. 

Teen Summit RVA

The Teen Summit RVA is supported through a regional partnership between Chesterfield County, Henrico County, and the city of Richmond to provide an annual event promoting the voices of students in their school divisions. The event is structured around a series of experiences focused on subjects like mental health, social media use, school safety, advocacy, and more. Led by David Naff, the ICRE conducts the annual evaluation of the Summit, including surveys of participating students.