The William T. Grant Foundation announces funding for five new projects that advance our interests in understanding everyday youth settings and the use of research in policy and practice that affect youth. These projects will explore settings including schools and youth programs. This cohort of grants also includes support for two Fellowships, including one Distinguished Fellowship and support for the Society for Research in Child Development’s (SRCD) Congressional Fellowship Program.
“This combination of strong research studies and important fellowships underscores our commitment to connecting high quality research with policy and practice.” said President Bob Granger.
The next deadline for letters of inquiry for research grants and Distinguished Fellowships is August 1, 2013, at 3:00 p.m. Information for applicants interested in research grants is available here; information Distinguished Fellows candidates is available here. Further details on the five projects follow.
RESEARCH How Big Are Summer Learning Gaps? Using Seasonal Comparisons to Understand Whether Schools or Other Settings Are the Primary Sources of Test-Score Inequality Paul von Hippel, Ph.D.
University of Texas
Doug Downey, Ph.D.
Ohio State University
$299,671
June 2013–May 2015
Research has shown that test-score gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged youth grow substantially after youth begin school and that those gaps continue to grow in the summer months. Some researchers have attributed the exacerbation in achievement gaps to school inadequacies, while others have linked it to family disadvantages. In this descriptive study, von Hippel and Downey want to understand whether racial and economic achievement gaps grow more when school is in session or over the summer. They will examine the size of achievement gaps across racial and economic backgrounds and changes in these gaps over time, using data sets that follow students from at least the first grade until at least the eighth grade. These studies include the Beginning School Study (a 20-year panel study of youth in Baltimore), the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (a nationally representative eight-year panel study), and a large extract from the Growth Research Database of the Northwest Evaluation Association (accelerated panel study panning 14 states). They will consider the reliability of different grade-level assessments and adjust for variations across these tools and changes in the degree of variation observed in student performance as youth progress. Their findings may inform decisions about summer learning or school improvement as strategies to reduce racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps.
Solving the Dropout Crisis? Evaluating the Impact of Rising Ninth Grade On-Track Rates in Chicago Melissa Roderick, Ph.D.
Camille Farrington, Ph.D.
University of Chicago
$330,796
June 2013–May 2015
Students who perform poorly at the beginning of high school are less likely to finish. In fact, some research suggests that students who complete the ninth grade “on track”—with enough credits to be promoted and limited failures in core classes—are four times more likely to graduate high school. In light of this trend, in 2007 the city of Chicago began a system-wide effort to increase the number of ninth grade students on track. The district has since seen dramatic improvements, but it is still unclear whether those will translate into improved graduation rates, or if they simply reflect better ninth grade statistics. Through this lens, Roderick and Farrington will test alternative theories regarding why on-track ninth graders may have higher graduation rates, and whether any school improvements are associated with changes in student performance and behavior. They will investigate three critical areas: (1) whether school strategies help keep students on track, (2) how conditions within and across schools affect the success of these strategies, and (3) the mechanisms underlying the association between on-track status in ninth grade with students’ subsequent performance and graduation. To accomplish this, the investigators will conduct a mixed-methods, longitudinal study of the on-track rates for 225,000 first-time ninth-graders entering 72 Chicago public schools between 2004 and 2012. They will also examine a qualitative sample of three population-matched pairs in which one high school has demonstrated substantial increases in its on-track rate while the other has a below-average on-track rate. The investigators will compare students’ academic performance at the beginning of the ninth grade to their on-track status over time. They will use academic transcripts, administrative records, and student and teacher surveys.
The Forces that Shape Latino Adolescents’ Activities: Insights from Mixed Methods Sandra Simpkins. Ph.D.
Cecilia Menjivar, Ph.D.
Roger Millsap, Ph.D.
Arizona State University
$386,382
May 2013–April 2016
Participation in high-quality out-of-school activities can benefit adolescent development. Yet, while Latino youth represent one of the fastest growing segments of the population, they are the least likely to participate in these activities. Research on youth programs has highlighted the importance of program quality as well as input from and interaction with families. In this mixed-methods study, Simpkins and her colleagues will focus on the role of culture. They will use data about Latino families and the activities that Latino youth participate in. The investigators will explore the roles of immigration, ethnicity, and economic resources as key factors in families’ decision-making about youth programs. Furthermore, they will explore the alignment of the family’s culture with the culture and ethnicity of the program. Their first data set is derived from a quantitative measurement study of an in-school survey with 299 seventh graders, their mothers, and an activity leader. The second data set consists of mixed-methods case studies with a subset of 34 families. Activity settings were assessed by their program quality, cultural content, and ethnic/cultural sensitivity. The data sets include information about youth’s participation, experiences, beliefs about organized activities.
FELLOWSHIPS Improving Adolescents’ Academic Adjustment: Interagency Collaborations at the State and Local Levels Nancy Hill, Ph.D.
Harvard University
$161,840
March 2013–February 2014
Nancy Hill, a professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, will use this Distinguished Fellows award to immerse herself in the operations of Massachusetts’s Executive Office of Education and the Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet. Hill has devoted her career to studying how families interact with schools. While she conducts research relevant to education, she has little direct experience with the state and local settings charged with developing and implementing educational policies. Thus, the primary goal of her Fellowship is to gain a clearer understanding of the resources and negotiations policymakers face as they consider, develop, and launch educational policies to support youth and their families. She will be mentored by Paul Reville, the Massachusetts Secretary of Education, and Abby Weiss, the manager of the Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet. Over the course of one year, Hill will spend approximately two to three days per week shadowing Weiss at the Cabinet. She will accompany Weiss to four high-poverty school districts in Massachusetts that are in the process of forming state and local agency partnerships to facilitate supportive services for students and families. Through this immersion experience, Hill hopes to inform her research on families’ and teens’ academic adjustment and mental health and eventually share her insights about bridging research and policy.
Society for Research in Child Development Congressional Fellowship Program Lonnie Sherrod, Ph.D.
Martha Zaslow, Ph.D.
Society for Research in Child Development
$354,984
September 2013–August 2015
The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Congressional Fellowship Program allows researchers to learn first-hand about the federal policymaking process and context, and the role of research within it. The program’s three basic goals are: (1) to increase the likelihood that research on youth will contribute to public policymaking, (2) to increase Fellows’ understanding of the kinds of research that contribute to policy, and (3) to expand the pool of leaders in the field who can integrate science and policy. Fellows participate in trainings by the American Academy of Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the SRCD and are then placed in congressional offices for 12 months as staff members of the U.S. Senate or House of Representatives. During this time, Fellows research legislation, attend hearings, write memoranda, draft speeches and floor statements, and often oversee a specific legislative portfolios. Fellows are often early-career researchers or doctoral students in psychology, human development, education, or similar fields. The William T. Grant Foundation has supported the Fellowship since its launch in 1978. In the ensuing years, we have funded the program for various periods, supporting a total of 16 Fellows. In 2005, SRCD began matching our funds to provide support for an additional Fellow each year. Many Fellows have gone on to become influential in their fields and influence both research production and how people think about its use. SRCD will use this award to administer a three Fellowships over the course of two years, while also reviewing and strengthening its evaluation process to better facilitate connections between research, policy and practice.