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The Research Alliance for New York City Schools conducts rigorous studies on topics that matter to the city’s public schools. We strive to advance equity and excellence in education by providing non-partisan evidence about policies and practices that promote students' development and academic success.

The Research Alliance fulfills three core functions:

• We conduct rigorous, applied research in collaboration with research institutions, policymakers, and educators.
• We build and maintain longitudinal data archives to support rigorous research.
• We communicate research results to broad audiences including policymakers, educators, parents, and other public education stakeholders.

The Research Alliance was founded in 2008 as a research center housed at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. While independent of the New York City Department of Education (DOE), we work with DOE and other stakeholders to identify important questions for research and to provide valid and reliable evidence to help solve problems and build capacity in schools throughout NYC. In addition, the Research Alliance collaborates with researchers at NYU and other universities and organizations across the city and country. Four principles guide our work.

• Research Rigor
• Relevance to Policy and Practice
• Partnership and Collaboration
• Outreach and Communication

The Research Alliance for New York City Schools conducts rigorous studies on topics that matter to the city’s public schools. We strive to advance equity and excellence in education by providing non-partisan evidence about…

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• New York, NY 10003, United States

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March 25, 2016

Study finds links between school climate, teacher turnover, and student achievement in NYC

by Rachel Harrison, New York University

Teacher turnover decreased and academic achievement increased in New York City middle schools that improved their learning environment, finds a new report from the Research Alliance for New York City Schools at NYU.

"In recent years, researchers and policymakers have focused much of their attention on measuring and improving teacher effectiveness. However, teachers do not work in a vacuum; their school's climate can either enhance or undermine their ability to succeed with students," said Matthew A. Kraft, assistant professor of education and economics at Brown University and the report's lead author.

Each year, New York City parents, teachers, and students in grades 6 through 12 take the Department of Education's School Survey. The survey aims to help school and district leaders understand how members of the school community perceive each school's learning environment.

In this study, the researchers looked at teacher responses to the School Survey, as well as student test scores, human resources data, and school administrative records for 278 public middle schools between 2008 and 2012. The researchers identified four distinct and potentially malleable dimensions of middle schools' organizational environments: leadership and professional development, high academic expectations for students, teacher relationships and collaboration, and school safety and order. They then examined how changes in these four dimensions over time were related to changes in teacher turnover and student achievement .

"Using annual school survey data allowed us to explore, for the first time, how changes in the quality of individual school climates were linked to corresponding changes in teacher turnover and student achievement over several years," said Kraft.

The researchers found robust relationships between increases in all four dimensions of school climate and decreases in teacher turnover, suggesting that improving the environment in which teachers work could play an important role in reducing turnover. The average turnover rate in New York City middle schools is 15 percent.

They also found evidence that improving school climate may help promote gains in students' academic achievement . Improvements in two dimensions – school safety and academic expectations – predicted faster growth in students' math test scores.

"We need to learn much more about how to help schools improve along these dimensions," said James Kemple, executive director of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools. "Changing the overall practices and culture of a school is complicated. But these findings offer persuasive evidence that raising student achievement and turning around schools will demand organizational solutions, in addition to the development of individual teachers."

The aspects of school climate highlighted in this study are featured prominently in New York City's current approach to school improvement. During the 2014-2015 school year, the Research Alliance helped the Department of Education develop its "Framework for Great Schools," which tapped existing research to outline specific organizational capacities that seem to be important for improving student outcomes. The Research Alliance also helped the Department of Education revamp its School Survey to capture better, more consistent information about these core capacities.

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Education | NYC public schools revise remote learning policy

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Education | nyc public schools revise remote learning policy after advocates ask state to intervene.

The guidelines sparked concern after the Department of Education recommended in May that principals could use virtual courses to reduce the amount of physical space necessary to meet the state’s class size law.

Last month, parents and the group Class Size Matters appealed to the New York State Education Department to force the city to make revisions. While Commissioner Betty Rosa has yet to weigh in, local education officials preempted any possible order.

“This is a big win for parent rights to ensure their children’s education is not fundamentally degraded by the forced imposition of online learning and will provide critical guardrails against the DOE’s reckless push to expand it,” said Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters.

Under the city’s former policy, schools had to get parental consent via an “opt-in” form for students to take virtual courses. It said administrators should make “every effort” to engage parents — but if they did not respond by the first day of school, students could stay in the online class as administrators continued to reach out.

The revised guidance clearly states: “Students must not participate in the virtual/blended courses without a parent opt-in form.”

“This is in line with our policies,” said Nathaniel Styer, press secretary for the public schools. “We’re not forcing anyone to take a virtual class if they don’t want to.”

The 2022 state law backed by Class Size Matters caps classrooms between 20 to 25 students, depending on their grade level. The legislation is currently being phased in and requires 40% of classrooms to comply by September.

While most schools should fit in their existing buildings, about 540 schools are expected to need extra space to comply with the law, say city education officials.

Haimson said she and the parents would continue to push for a settlement agreement in writing and other demands in the appeal, including extra protections for students with disabilities or without the proper equipment and online access at home. Parents should also have the right to revoke consent, getting their children pulled out of the course if they are struggling, she said.

“NYC parents will not accept the automation of our children’s education,” Brooklyn parent Tia Schellstede said in a statement. “Learning is a fundamentally human process.”

A spokesman for the state Education Department confirmed it received the appeal and it remains pending. Local education officials have until early August to submit a response.

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The Research Alliance for New York City Schools

The research alliance year in review 2022.

2022 has been a busy, challenging, exciting year for the Research Alliance for New York City Schools. It has been gratifying to be together in the office again, to meet with partners in person, and to spend time in school buildings that are buzzing with activity. We have worked hard to produce evidence that is useful to a wide range of education stakeholders, including school and district leaders, educators, advocates, parents and students. Below we share a few highlights from our year.

Publications

New releases in 2022 included:

• Integrating Computer Science and Computational Thinking into Elementary Science , which summarized findings and lessons from the Maker Partnership Project and provided access to resources designed for MPP, such as sample lesson plans.
• Improving the Teacher Pipeline in the Bronx: Examining the Impact of New York City’s Teacher and School Leaders Program , which highlighted notable benefits from the Teacher Leadership program, including improved teacher retention. 
• Policing and Educational Outcomes , which found that when there was heavy Stop, Question, and Frisk activity in Black and Latinx students' home neighborhoods, they were substantially less likely to graduate from high school. 
• CS4All: Examining Equity in Computer Science Access and Participation ; this report explored the extent to which NYC schools are reaching all of their students with computer science instruction, as well as the extent to which participation is equitable for girls and Black and Latinx students—who have been starkly underrepresented in CS education and careers.
• ASD Nest: Exploring Educators' Perspectives on an Innovative Model for Autistic Students ; this brief provided insight into the factors educators see as important for implementing the ASD Nest model, challenges that may need to be addressed, and considerations for replicating the program in other schools and districts.
• Senior Research Associate Kathryn Hill co-authored “ ‘It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint’: The Implementation and Outcomes of a Yearlong Racial Justice Intervention ,” in AERA Open, together with Research Alliance affiliate Adriana Villavicencio and former Research Alliance staffer Sarah Klevan. 
• Research Alliance staff also contributed to “ Understanding Barriers to School-Wide Computational Thinking Integration at the Elementary Grades: Lessons from Three Schools ” and the Career and Technical Education Research Network's new Equity Framework for Career and Technical Education Research . 

2022 in Spotlights

How Equitable is Access to a Positive School Climate in NYC Schools?

The third post in our series examines how school-wide perceptions of school climate vary by race/ethnicity, finding that Black students, in particular, appear to attend schools with climates that are rated lower on average.

Access to Advanced Coursework in NYC High Schools

The second post in our series examines the degree to which students in NYC have had opportunities to take classes that would help them graduate from high school and prepare for post-secondary education, exploring how access to advanced coursework varies by race/ethnicity and neighborhood poverty.

To What Extent Are Students With Disabilities Included in K-12 Computer Science Education?

This Spotlight post uses data on students’ Individualized Education Plans and course enrollment records from the 2018-2019 school year to explore the degree to which students with disabilities are participating in CS.

This year, the Research Alliance launched new studies aimed at identifying and addressing barriers to implementing CS4All and developing Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Educational practices in CS instruction. We also introduced our new Equity Indicators series, with analyses examining high school students’ access to advanced coursework and a positive school climate . Looking ahead, we will be working to develop a full suite of equity indicators, pinpointing differences not only in student outcomes, but also key resources and opportunities available to students, from pre-K through college. 

Chancellor David Banks, Research Alliance Executive Director James Kemple and Deputy Director Cheri Fancsali sit at a round table discussion at the 2022 NYC Equity Summit.

Public Engagement

In 2022, members of the Research Alliance team participated in a variety of virtual and in-person events. Research Alliance Deputy Director Cheri Fancsali served as a panelist for “Defining Equity and Envisioning an Equitable NYC,” along with City Council Member Nantasha Williams and NYC Racial Justice Commission Policy Director Jimmy Pan, in an engaging, cross-sector conversation moderated by FPWA’s Raysa S. Rodriguez. Fancsali, along with Research Alliance Executive Director James Kemple, also participated in the 2022 NYC Equity Summit, convened by the Mayor's Office of Equity, FPWA, and the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. Throughout the year, Research Alliance staff presented to diverse groups of policymakers, practitioners, and funders, as well as at academic conferences, including APPAM, AEFP, AERA, and SREE (where Kemple was named President—his term begins in January 2023).

In the News

This year, Research Alliance work and experts were featured in a range of news stories, including:

• "Why Schools' Going Back to 'Normal' Wont Work For Students of Color," The 74 Million, (November 26, 2022).
• "Computer science classes have an equity issue. Some NYC educators are trying to change that," Chalkbeat , (November 21, 2022).
• "2022 Power Players in Education," PoliticsNY , (October 03, 2022).  
• "N.Y.C. Children Held Ground in Reading, but Lagged in Math, Tests Show," The New York Times , (September 28, 2022).  
• "41% of NYC students were chronically absent last school year," Chalkbeat , (September 16, 2022).
• "Chancellor Banks launches 16th annual NYC school survey to elevate voices of parents and students," AMNY, (February 14, 2022).
• "NYC School Survey seeks parent, teacher, student feedback," Staten Island Advance, (February 14, 2022).
• "NYC officials keep a lid on data from tests to address ‘learning gaps,’" Chalkbeat , (January 27, 2022).
• "Study: Common school ratings biased, often inaccurate," Chalkbeat , (January 24, 2022).

As always, we welcome your questions, feedback and ideas for new areas of research. With 2022 coming to a close, please know how grateful we are for your continued readership, partnership and work on behalf of New York City’s students and communities. From everyone here at the Research Alliance, we wish you a warm and wonderful holiday season and a happy, healthy new year!

Research Alliance for New York City Schools Commissioned to Evaluate Success of iMentor Program

Can mentors help students graduate high school and prepare for college? That is the question the Research Alliance hopes to answer through a six-year, $1 million study of the iMentor program.

Can mentors help students graduate high school and prepare for college?

That is the question the Research Alliance for New York City Schools , housed within NYU Steinhardt , hopes to answer through a six-year, $1 million study of iMentor’s college-readiness program, a school-based mentoring program that pairs high school students from low-income communities with college-educated mentors. iMentor has commissioned the Research Alliance to conduct the study using funding from the federal Social Innovation Fund.

“We plan to follow two thousand high school students, only half of whom will be paired with mentors, from the time they start ninth grade through high school graduation. We'll then compare these two groups of students to better understand the effects of mentoring on students' academic and non-academic outcomes,” said Lori Nathanson, research associate and lead researcher on the project. “There is a tremendous need in the city’s schools to ensure that students, especially those who may be the first in their families to attend college, receive individual guidance and develop the necessary skills to graduate high school and eventually college. Our evaluation could play a crucial role in determining if mentorship is an effective way to achieve these outcomes.”

According to the New York State Department of Education , only one-third of 2011 graduates in New York City were adequately prepared for college. The American School Counselor Association reports that, nationally, the average ratio of students to school counselors is 459:1, leaving a gap in resources available to schools to help students get on track for college. iMentor partners with schools to enable mentors to fill this knowledge and resource gap. Students work one-on-one with their mentors to develop strong personal relationships, nurture a college aspiration, navigate the college application process, and build critical skills that lead to college success.

“This evaluation will be one of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted on mentoring,” said Mike O’Brien, iMentor’s chief executive officer. “We hope to increase the quality and quantity of evidence around how iMentor’s program improves college readiness for students.”

iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower students in low-income communities to graduate high school, succeed in college, and achieve their ambitions. In New York City, iMentor partners with public schools to ensure every student in the school receives a mentor during his or her high school career. iMentor also provides its curriculum, technology, and best practices to nonprofits nationwide to help them run effective programs in the iMentor model. Since 1999, iMentor has connected 11,000 students with mentors. This evaluation of iMentor’s program is funded through iMentor’s grant from the federal Social Innovation Fund, with additional funding from New Profit Inc., the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Morrison & Foerster Foundation, Tiger Foundation, Altman Foundation, and the Leon Lowenstein Foundation.

About the Research Alliance for New York City Schools The Research Alliance for New York City Schools is a non-partisan research center housed at New York University. It is committed to conducting rigorous and independent studies on topics that matter to the city’s public schools. The organization aims to help teachers, principals, administrators, and policymakers make informed decisions about how to educate the city’s children by conducting studies that provide valid and reliable evidence about the state of public education and effectiveness of school improvement initiatives. To learn more about the Research Alliance, visit http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/research_alliance . 

About the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development prepares students for careers in the arts, education, health, media, and psychology. Since its founding in 1890, the Steinhardt School's mission has been to expand human capacity through public service, global collaboration, research, scholarship, and practice. To learn more about NYU Steinhardt, visit: http://steinhardt.nyu.edu .

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