Research

Projects

CSET is uniquely positioned to design, develop, and discover novel research and evaluation approaches. We work in close partnership with both the academic community as well as with practitioners. CSET has a diverse team consisting of faculty, researchers, evaluators, and professional development providers who can design research projects and instruments to meet the specific needs of projects, conduct the research, analyze data both quantitatively and qualitatively, and share results through multiple methods.

Check out our research projects below. To find out how CSET can support the analysis of your site’s data, please contact us.

Projects

Practical Measures

Contact(s):
Hilda Borko
Michael Jarry-Shore
Jim Ryan
Emma Trevino

Practical measures are brief surveys administered to students at the end of a math lesson. Data from these surveys provide teachers with instantaneous feedback on some aspect of their instructional practice. These data can now be displayed for teachers using digital pie and bar charts. In this research study, we presented several such pie and bar charts to middle-school math teachers and instructional coaches.

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Practicum Academy to Improve Science Education (PRACTISE)

Contact(s):
Jonathan Osborne
Hilda Borko
Emily Reigh

The project goal is to improve science instruction between grades 3 - 5 while researching and refining the best methods to deliver the PD.  Research shows that engaging in argumentation helps students reach a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and the PRACTISE PD trains teachers to be able to facilitate argumentation-based classroom discussion. 

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Problem-Solving Cycle

Contact(s):
Hilda Borko
Janet Carlson
Rebecca Deutscher

The Problem-Solving Cycle (PSC) is a National Science Foundation funded project that has developed a research-based professional development (PD) model.  This model is highly adaptable and can be specifically focused on problems of practice that are of interest to the participating teachers and administrators.  Additionally, it can be tailored to highlight federal, state, district, and school-based initiatives that are ever-changing and ongoing in the life of a teacher.

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Protocol for Language Arts Teaching Observations (PLATO)

Contact(s):
Janet Carlson

The Protocol for Language Arts Teacher Observations (PLATO) is a classroom observation tool designed to capture features of Language Arts instruction. Currently, CSET supports use of PLATO in two capacities. First, we train researchers who want to use PLATO to study teachers' classroom practices.

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Supporting Effective, Engaging, and Equitable Middle School Science Teaching and Learning

Contact(s):
Janet Carlson
Rebecca Deutscher

Phase 1 (2013 - 2016) Starting in 2013, we began working on a project-based learning curriculum and research project with various middle schools in the San Francisco Bay area. The goal of this Learning Through Performance (LTP) Middle School Science Project was to develop, pilot, and research the efficacy of a sixth-grade science course aligned with the NGSS middle school standards.

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Technology for Equity in Learning Opportunities (TELOS)

Contact(s):
Janet Carlson

TELOS (Technology for Equity in Learning Opportunities) is an initiative of the Stanford Graduate School of Education. The guiding assumption underlying our efforts is that technology has the potential to increase access to high quality learning opportunities but that this will not happen without the intentional design and study of technologies, learning environments, and policies.

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