The Research Review

We are thrilled to launch this monthly newsletter, where you can stay up to date with the latest developments, ongoing research, and impactful findings from the Research team.

Each month, we’ll bring you highlights on current studies happening across the district, insights into program evaluations, and important data that shape decision-making and drive student success.

Our goal is to create a space for collaboration, sharing, and learning by spotlighting not only the research in progress but also celebrating completed projects that have made a difference. Whether you're a stakeholder, educator, or community member, this newsletter will provide valuable information about how research is continuously used to support and improve education in our district.

Thank you for joining us on this journey of discovery and impact. We look forward to keeping you informed and inspired through the work we share.

Happy reading!

The Division of Research and Program Evaluation (DRPE) is dedicated to helping Columbus City Schools’ students and staff reach their fullest potential. Our mission is to ensure that all programs, strategies, and services provided by the district are both effective and equitable, empowering all students with the highest quality learning experiences.

Our Vision and Goals

The DRPE aims to support Columbus City Schools by:

• Reviewing and analyzing current programs, initiatives, and strategies to assess their impact and return on investment (ROI) within the district.
• Reviewing and approving research that aligns with the District’s Strategic Plan, The Power of One, and the Portrait of a Graduate, ensuring that our work contributes to meaningful and actionable data.

For more information, please view our informational slide deck [linked here].

How to Request a Program Evaluation

Columbus City Schools employees who are interested in evaluating a current program, strategy, or initiative are encouraged to complete the form [linked below]. This evaluation process helps gather crucial insights, allowing us to assess program effectiveness and impact.

Services Offered by DRPE

We provide a range of evaluation and analysis services, including:

• Survey Creation and Analysis: Gain insights into group opinions and preferences on various topics.
• Poll Creation and Analysis: Quickly gather responses to a single question.
• Training/Event/Professional Development Feedback: Understand audience feedback to guide next steps and additional learning needs.
• Data Analysis: Get support in gaining insights from your data, including combining it with other datasets if necessary.
• Program/Strategy/Initiative Evaluation: Assess the impact and effectiveness of programs, strategies, and initiatives.
• Consultation: Discuss research or evaluation projects with our team for customized support.
• Other Services: Additional support such as literature reviews, logic models, needs assessments, focus groups, and interviews.

For internal employees, access the [Internal Research and Program Evaluation Request Form here]. We look forward to working with you to build an informed, data-driven approach that best serves our students and the district as a whole.

We are excited to announce a major milestone in our district’s efforts to improve and align professional development and learning systems. For the first time, the Research and Program Evaluation team has worked collaboratively across departments with our Curriculum Team to create a district-wide feedback survey to gather insights from employees about the professional learning they participated in on October 18. This initiative marks a significant step forward in how we collect, analyze, and use feedback to inform our development and coaching strategies.

Previously, individual teams within the district created their own feedback forms, making it difficult to gather consistent data and identify overarching trends across departments. By introducing a unified feedback tool, we now have a comprehensive view of employee experiences, allowing us to better understand the impact of our professional development efforts and measure alignment with our organizational values.

We are thrilled to report that over 1,000 employees took part in the survey, providing valuable feedback on their learning experiences. This feedback will help us refine our approach and ensure that staff development is responsive to the needs of our workforce. The data collected will inform strategic priorities as we work to enhance staff coaching, development, and professional learning systems throughout the district.

This is only the beginning. As we continue to gather feedback and analyze trends, we are committed to refining the tool to better serve our employees and meet the evolving needs of our district. We look forward to using these insights to strengthen our commitment to high-quality professional development that aligns with the district’s values and priorities.

Thank you to everyone who participated in this survey. Your input is vital to helping us shape the future of professional learning in our district!

The Research and Program Evaluation team plays a key role in helping the district stay on track with its goals by running the weekly i-Ready monitoring report. Since i-Ready participation is closely tied to our district’s academic priorities, these reports provide crucial insights into how our students are engaging with this important tool.

By regularly analyzing participation and progress, we ensure that students are benefiting from the personalized learning experiences i-Ready offers, while also keeping our focus on district-wide achievement goals. This ongoing monitoring helps guide decision-making and supports continuous improvement efforts throughout the year.

The Research Review Committee held its first monthly meeting of the year, marking the start of an exciting season of research activity within our district. During this meeting, the committee reviewed proposals from external researchers and district staff seeking to conduct studies in our schools.

The committee plays a critical role in ensuring that research conducted in the district aligns with our strategic priorities, protects student privacy, and contributes valuable insights to improve education. We look forward to reviewing more proposals throughout the year and continuing our commitment to supporting impactful, high-quality research in the district.

Stay tuned for monthly updates on the innovative studies that have been approved and launched!

At the October 25 meeting, the Research Review Committee approved two new research proposals, including an exciting study focused on the experiences of elementary math teachers. This research aims to explore how teachers in grades 2-4 use curriculum as a tool to enhance self-efficacy and instructional practices, with the goal of supporting more effective teaching in early math education.

The researcher is looking for educators with at least two years of experience who currently teach math to students in grades 2 through 4. If you're interested in learning more or would like to participate, please reach out by sending your information to tyoung4762@gmail.com. Your insights could contribute valuable knowledge to help strengthen math instruction across the district!

In October, the Research Review Committee approved a study to investigate whether color-coding English vowels can enhance reading fluency among elementary students. This study is part of the Soccer and Literacy Program by the Final Third Foundation, which focuses on improving reading skills through simple, low-cost interventions. The research hypothesizes that color-coding vowels—such as displaying the letter "a" in red—will improve reading fluency compared to traditional black text.

The study aims to include elementary students (ages 7-12) already participating in the Soccer and Literacy Program. Four schools will be invited to participate each semester, with a goal of recruiting 100 students per group over two semesters. The study is set to begin in January, and elementary schools partnered with the Final Third Foundation can expect more information soon. Participation will be at the discretion of each building leader.

We’re excited to invite you to the next Research Review Committee meeting on November 22, where recently completed research projects will be showcased. This is a great opportunity to hear directly from researchers as they present their findings and share insights gained from their work in our district.

On November 22, join us to learn more from:

• Dr. Alison Brooks on her research, titled "SEL and Office Referrals Post Covid: An Exploratory Case Study"
• Dr. Angela Clarke on her research, titled " A Unique Position: Role Expectations Versus Reality of Practice for Urban School"

If you’re interested in learning how this research is contributing to the improvement of education in our schools, we encourage you to attend. Please reach out to researchproposalccs@columbus.k12.oh.us to RSVP and get additional details.

We hope to see you there!

Staff across the district may occasionally receive direct requests from researchers, graduate students, educational companies, and other individuals or organizations interested in conducting research in our schools. To ensure all research aligns with our district goals and policies, please refer any research-related inquiries to our Research Team.

For more information or to submit a research request, please submit this online application, or contact us directly at researchproposals@columbus.k12.oh.us.

Thank you for your cooperation and for helping us maintain a structured and effective research process across the district.

Email: researchproposalccs@columbus.k12.oh.us

Location: Columbus City Schools Southland Center, South High Street, Columbus, OH, USA

Phone: 380-997-1133