Research Brief

November 10, 2021

School District Collaboration: Lessons From Districts Participating in California Education Partners’ California Language & Learning Initiative (CALLI)

In spring 2017, WestEd was engaged to conduct a formative evaluation of the California Language & Learning Initiative – a cross-district collaboration developed and supported by California Education Partners (Ed Partners). Over the next four years, WestEd staff conducted a series of interviews to advise Ed Partners on participants’ perceptions of the initiative and their […]

November 1, 2021

Summary of Transitional Kindergarten vs. Prekindergarten: A Fuzzy Regression Discontinuity Analysis of Student Literacy Skills

This research brief summarizes the findings from a study by Christopher Doss comparing the academic outcomes of students who were eligible for SFUSD’s Transitional Kindersgarten (TK) program to students who were only eligible for San Francisco’s pre-K services.The study found that TK and pre-K have different characteristics and offer different programs to students. The researcher […]

September 1, 2021

Summary of Research Findings: Summer Credit Recovery Impact on Newcomer English Learners

This brief summarizes findings from a study of San Francisco Unified School District’s EL Village. EL Village (now called Summer Academy for Integrated Language Learning – SAILL) was designed to improve academic outcomes for high school students who are newcomer English Learners. The voluntary program offered free five-week content courses in English Language Arts, math, […]

July 1, 2021

Free Meals for All: Utilization of School Meals and Nutrition Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This brief reports on a study of the utilization of the National School Lunch Programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, when onsite consumption and distribution requirements were relaxed. 

January 1, 2021

Reading Like a Historian

This brief discusses the Reading Like a Historian curriculum, created by Stanford History Education Group, to engage students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features sets of primary documents modified for groups of students with diverse reading skills and abilities. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions […]

October 1, 2020

Summary of: Global Variation in COVID-19 School Reopening Measures

This brief summarizes findings from a systemic content analysis of documents in a new Stanford University database of international school reopening measures. The purpose of the database is to support school district leaders’ decisions about options to consider when reopening schools during the continuing pandemic. Five themes, categorized as Basic Measures, made up the vast […]

September 1, 2020

Summary of Video: Essentials for Online Classes

Since 2006, Stanford Online High School has been educating students successfully online through an innovative virtual classroom model. When the global pandemic closed in-person school operations across the nation, Stanford OHS instructors and staff created a series of resources for educators implementing emergency online learning plans. This Brief summarizes the recommendations from Essentials for Online […]

August 1, 2020

Summary of Video: Principal Supervision and Distance Learning: What’s the Right Approach?

This brief summarizes the video, Principal Supervision and Distance Learning: What’s the Right Approach? Nancy Gutierrez, President and CEO of the NYC Leadership Academy, moderates a discussion with Meredith Honig, professor at the University of Washington and Director of the University’s District Leadership Design Lab. Honig’s research focuses on the integral role a school district’s […]