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Staff Profiles
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Laura S. HamiltonPittsburgh Office Senior Behavioral/Social Scientist EducationPh.D. in educational psychology, Stanford University; M.S. in statistics, Stanford University; M.S. in psychology in education, University of Pennsylvania; B.S. in music education, Duquesne University |
Biography
Laura Hamilton is a Senior Behavioral Scientist at the RAND Corporation and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the University of Pittsburghs Learning Sciences and Policy program. Her research focuses on educational assessment, accountability, instructional practices, and school reform. She has directed several large studies, including an investigation of the implementation of standards-based accountability in response to No Child Left Behind, an investigation of relationships between student achievement and teachers instructional practices in mathematics and science, and an evaluation of a leadership development program for principals in urban school districts. She is currently working with the National Center on Performance Incentives to investigate teachers responses to pay-for-performance programs, and is evaluating a new principal evaluation system in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She has expertise in psychometrics, survey research methodology, and measurement of instructional practices, leadership, and reform implementation. She has served on a number of national and state panels, including the Brookings National Commission on Choice in K-12 Education, the Center on Education Policys Advisory Panel on Student Achievement Under No Child Left Behind and its Panel on High School Exit Exams, and the APA/AERA/NCME Joint Committee to Revise the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. She is also chairing a panel on data-driven decision making for the What Works Clearinghouse.
Research Focus
Assessment and accountability; teachers and teaching; educational leadership; elementary and secondary education
RAND Research Areas
Recent Projects
- Evaluation of Principal Leadership Development Program sponsored by New Leaders for New Schools
- Study of Responses to No Child Left Behind sponsored by National Science Foundation
- National Center on Performance Incentives sponsored by U.S. Department of Education
- Evaluation of Pittsburgh Principals Program sponsored by U.S. Department of Education
- Measuring Instruction at Scale sponsored by Spencer and William T. Grant Foundations
Selected Publications
Hamilton, L.S., Stecher, B.M., Russell, J.L., Marsh, J.A., & Miles, J., "Accountability and teaching practices: School-level actions and teacher responses.", Research in Sociology of Education, 16 31-66, 2008
Stecher, B.M., Epstein, S., Hamilton, L.S., Marsh, J.A., Robyn, A., McCombs, J.S., Russell, J.L., & Naftel, S., Pain and gain: Implementing No Child Left Behind in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, 2004 to 2006, RAND Corporation, 2008
Hamilton, L.S., Stecher, B.M., Marsh, J., McCombs, J.S., Robyn, A., Russell, J., Naftel, S., & Barney, H., Implementing standards-based accountability under No Child Left Behind: Responses of superintendents, principals, and teachers in three states., RAND Corporation, 2007
McCaffrey, D.M., & Hamilton, L.S., Value-added assessment in practice: Lessons from the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System pilot project, RAND Corporation, 2007
Hamilton, L.S., & Martinez, J.F., "What can TIMSS surveys tell us about mathematics reforms of the 1990s?", T. Loveless (Ed.), Lessons learned: What international assessments tell us about math achievement, (127-174), 2007
Hamilton, L.S., & Stecher, B.M., "A better way: Measuring charter school success and failure", .J. Lake & P.T. Hill (Eds.), Hopes, fears, and reality: A balanced look at American Charter Schools., 61-71, 2006
Koretz, D., & Hamilton, L.S., "Testing for accountability in K-12", Educational Measurement, 4th Ed., 531-578, 2006
Hamilton, L.S., "Assessment as a Policy Tool", Review of Research in Education, 27(25-68), 2003
Honors & Awards
- President's Award awarded by RAND Corporation
- Outstanding Reviewer Award awarded by Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis
Research Focus
Education: elementary, middle/secondary, K-12 assessment and accountability, teachers and teaching
Recent Projects
- Evaluation of principal training program
- Study of No Child Left Behind
- Value-added modeling
- Implementation of standards-based accountability
- Evaluation of Edison schools
- Study of systemic reforms in math and science
Selected Publications
Standards-Based Accountability Under No Child Left Behind: Experiences of Teachers and Administrators in Three States, Laura S. Hamilton et al., RAND Corporation, 2007
"Lessons from Performance Measurement in Education," in Robert Klitgaard and Paul C. Light, eds., High-Performance Government: Structure, Leadership, Incentives, RAND Corporation, 2005
Inspiration, Perspiration, and Time: Operations and Achievement in Edison Schools, Brian P. Gill et al., RAND Corporation, 2005
Evaluating Value-Added Models for Teacher Accountability, Daniel F. McCaffrey et al., RAND Corporation, 2004
"Assessment as a Policy Tool," Review of Research in Education, Vol. 27, 2003
Recent Media Appearances
Interviews: Education Daily; Education Week; Los Angeles Times; NEA Today; Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; San Antonio Express-News; United Press International; New York Times
Commentary: Philadelphia Inquirer; Pittsburgh Business Times; Education Week; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
To arrange an interview:
Contact the RAND Office of Media Relations, (703) 413-1100, x5117 or (310) 451-6913, or send an email to media@rand.org.
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