Empirical Education specializes in rigorous research that is conducted on a local scale. We can assist in district-vendor partnerships that can substantially lower the cost of the research. We are also expert at conducting the evaluation components of state or federal grants.
Services for School Systems
In districts, we work directly with decision-makers to identify questions they have that research can address using existing accountability measures. Our studies provide precise and unbiased evidence about the likelihood of achievement gains if, for example, a particular program were expanded district-wide. Our studies take into account multiple factors influencing outcomes; and our research reports are usable in the context of a decision-maker's concerns for cost, available resources, and achievement gaps among subgroups of students. We can work with districts to prepare the rigorous evaluation component required of many federal and state grants.
Funds for working with school systems and state agencies have come from the agencies themselves as well as from federal sources—principally the US Department of Education. We received a grant from the US ED to further refine our experimental methods and increase the efficiency of the research operations. The grant, awarded in 2003, provided funds to offer our services at no cost to districts that want to make decisions based on locally generated evidence. We anticipate that a renewal of this grant funding will allow us to continue making free studies available to interested districts. We also are partners in the Regional Education Laboratories in the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest. Through these contracts we are conducting statewide and regional studies and assisting districts and states in applying rigorous research to their local questions.