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Evaluation Reports

Evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's National High School Program

Barbara Means, Linda Shear, Marianne Bakia, Sara Carriere, Bowyee Gong, Torie Gorges, Geneva Haertel, Amy Hafter, Ann House, Yesica Lopez, Raymond McGhee, Robert Murphy, Margaret Riel, Willow Sussex, Janet Voight-Miro, Louise Yarnall, Aasha Joshi

Many observers of American education agree that secondary schools are both the most “broken” part of the K-12 system and the hardest to change. Conventional high schools with a wide set of course offerings organized into academic departments and short instructional periods work well for some students but leave many—arguably the majority of students—unmotivated, under challenged, and unconvinced that their school work will do anything to help prepare them for future life.

SRI International, under a subcontract with the American Institutes for Research, is conducting a multiyear evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's initiative to create hundreds of innovative, effective high schools across America. Looking for ways to provide all students, especially the underserved, with an effective secondary education, the foundation is supporting networks of schools engaged in converting large high schools into smaller learning communities and in developing and replicating exemplary small-school models. The evaluation design includes annual site visits to grantees and schools, student and parent focus groups, surveys, classroom observations, and detailed analyses of school and student outcome data. These research activities are being complemented by the collection and analysis of samples of teacher assignments and student work in the areas of mathematics and language arts. Members of the SRI team are drawn from the Center for Technology in Learning, the Center for Education Policy, and the Center for Education and Human Services.

3/2001 - 12/2006 (past)

Funders & Clients

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Partners

American Institutes for Research

Publications

Shear, L., Means, B., Mitchell, K., House, A., Gorges, T., Joshi, A., Smerdon, B., & Shkolnik, J. (2008) "Contrasting Paths to Small School Reform: Results of a 5-year Evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s National High Schools Initiative." Teachers College Record, 110(9), p. 1986-2039.
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House, A., Shear, L. F., Cole, S., Wolman, M., Joshi, A., & Uekawa, K. (2006). Findings from the Evaluation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's National School District and Network Grants Program: The Challenge of Sustaining High-School Reform. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, 2006 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.
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American Institutes for Research and SRI International. (2005, April). Executive summary: Evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s High School Grants, 2001-2004. Washington, DC: Authors.
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Mitchell, K., Shkolnik, J., Song, M., Uekawa, K., Murphy, R., Garet, M., & Means, B. (2005, July). Rigor, relevance, and results: The quality of teacher assignments and student work in new and conventional high schools. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research and SRI International.
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Rhodes, D., Smerdon, B., Burt, W., Evan, A., Martinez, B., & Means, B. (2005, July). Getting to results: Student outcomes in new and redesigned high schools. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research and SRI International.
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Shear, L., Song, M., House, A., Martinez, B., Means, B., & Smerdon, B. (2005, April). Creating cultures for learning: Supportive relationships in new and redesigned high schools. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research and SRI International.
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American Institutes for Research and SRI International. (2004). Technical Appendix: The National School District and Network Grants Program: Year 2 evaluation report. Washington, DC: Authors.
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American Institutes for Research and SRI International. (2004). The National School District and Network Grants Program: Year 2 evaluation report. Washington, DC: Authors.
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Mitchell, K., Murphy, R., Hafter, A., & Shkolnik, J. (2004). Exploring assignments, student work, and teacher feedback in reforming schools: 2002-03 Data from Washington State. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research and SRI International.
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Mitchell, K., Murphy, R., Hafter, A., & Shkolnik, J. (2004). Technical Appendix: Exploring assignments, student work, and teacher feedback in reforming schools: 2002-03 data from Washington State. Washington, DC: American Institutes for Research and SRI International.
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American Institutes for Research and SRI International. (2003). High time for high school reform: Early findings from the evaluation of the National School District and Network Grants Program. Washington, DC: Authors.
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Shear, L., & Smerdon, B. (2003, April). Mapping the terrain: Year 1 of the evaluation of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's National School District and Network Grants Program. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.
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Smerdon, B., Garet, M., O'Day, J., Miller, L., Means, B., & Mitchell, K. (2003, April). Charting a course: Evaluation design of the National School District and Network Grants Program. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.
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