The Rise of Standards-Aligned Materials for K–12 English Language Arts and Mathematics Instruction
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Date: |
Tuesday, October 26, 2021 |
Time: |
2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EDT / 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT |
Program
The instructional materials teachers use in the classroom matter for what students learn. Many states and school systems across the U.S. have been developing policies and incentives to encourage use of high-quality instructional materials among K–12 teachers. Yet, historically, we have had little evidence about the quality of instructional materials teachers use every day, nor data on how much teachers are using those materials.
In this webinar, RAND Corporation and EdReports share new data from a national teacher survey administered in spring 2021 about what instructional materials teachers are using and the factors that may be leading to increases in use of standards-aligned instructional materials across the United States.
Featured Speakers
Julia Kaufman is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation where she codirects the American Educator Panels. Her research focuses on how states and school systems can support high-quality instruction and student learning, as well as methods for measuring educator perceptions and instruction. She has led studies on how to support students' civics knowledge, skills, and dispositions; how state policies can encourage effective use of high-quality materials; implementation and student outcomes associated with the strategies of the Louisiana Department of Education; perceptions and implementation of state standards for kindergarten through twelfth-grade students; and implementation, outcomes, and costs associated with pipelines for preparing, hiring, and supporting high-quality school leaders and teachers.
Kaufman has also led several projects to develop innovative measures of instructional practice, including measures of student-centered learning and teachers' mathematics instruction. Prior to coming to RAND, Kaufman's research focused on the main factors that support teachers' use of inquiry-based mathematics curricula and the extent to which survey measures can accurately capture teachers' instruction. She holds a Ph.D. in international education from New York University and an M.A. in teaching from the University of Pittsburgh.
Sy Doan is an associate policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. His research uses quantitative methods to study K–12 education policy, with current work in educator effectiveness, educator professional development, educator use of instructional materials, and K–12 education finance. He works extensively with the American Educator Panels, where he conducts research on teacher use and perceptions of instructional materials. In addition to these topics, he is interested in research on K–12 students' post-secondary and labor force transition and student access to diverse and culturally responsive educators and teaching practices.
Eric Hirsch
Eric Hirsch is the Foundation Executive Director of EdReports, leading the organization to produce educator led reviews of instructional materials and support smart adoption processes to equip teachers with quality curriculum. Prior to coming to EdReports, Eric was the Chief External Affairs Officer at the New Teacher Center, the Executive Director of the Center for Teaching Quality and the Education Program Manager at the National Conference of State Legislatures. He has supported policymakers across the country, written and published more than 150 articles, book chapters, reports and policy briefs, and presented extensively on curriculum, teaching and learning conditions, and teaching quality.