WORKSHOP AGENDA

Randomized Field Trials (RFTs) in Education:
Implementation & Implications
September 24, 2003
National Academies Keck Building
Room 100
500 5th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

DISCLAIMER: This is an unedited verbatim transcript of the Workshop on Peer Review of Education Research Grant Applications: Implications, Considerations, and Future Directions prepared by CASET Associates and is not an official report of National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, or National Research Council (collectively “National Academies”). Opinions and statements included in the transcript are solely those of the individual persons or participants at the conference, and are not necessarily adopted or endorsed or verified as accurate by The National Academies.

Please note that the presentations below may be subject to copyright restrictions of the individual presenters.

8:00 am	Continental Breakfast
8:30 am	Workshop Objectives & Overview
	What is the role of RFTs in research and research methods? And how are they implemented in social settings, including educational sites? Two lead presentations will place the role of RFTs in context for the day’s discussion.
Session 1. RFTs in Context
	What is the role of RFTs in research and research methods? And how are they implemented in social settings, including educational sites? Two lead presentations will place the role of RFTs in context for the day’s discussion.
	Committee Moderator: Brian Junker
8:45 am	Nature of Education Research & Methodology
	Richard Shavelson, Stanford University		Bio	Remarks			Presentation
9:15 am	Implementing RFTs in Social Settings
	Judith Gueron, MDRC		Bio	Remarks			Presentation
9:45 am	Q&A
10:30 am	Break
Session 2. RFTs in Educational Settings: Lessons Learned
	This session will explore implementation issues associated with RFTs in educational settings, with a focus on how implementation influences the provision of education (e.g., student access to interventions, teacher/administrator workloads) as well as research process and products (e.g., design features, data collection, nature of inferences). Discussions of three studies—led by researcher/policymaker/practitioner teams—will address these issues by describing relevant political, policy, legal, and ethical contexts, outlining research questions and methods, and participant recruitment, costs, and attrition issues.
	Committee Moderator: Jack Fletcher
10:45 am	Case 1: Success for All After-School Program Study
	Olatokunbo (Toks) Fashola, Johns Hopkins University Loretta McClairn, Baltimore City Schools		Bio Bio	Remarks			Presentation
11:15 am	Case 2: Haan Foundation Study
	David Myers, Mathematica Policy Research Donna Durno, Allegheny Intermediate Unit		Bio Bio	Remarks			Presentation
11:45 pm	Case 3: Baltimore Whole Day First Grade Program Study
	Sheppard Kellam, Am. Institutes for Research Linda Chinnia, Baltimore City Schools		Bio Bio	Remarks Remarks			Presentation Presentation
12:15 pm	Lunch and Q&A
Session 3. Implications for Research & Practice
	Given the current push for more RFTs in federal education law, what do these implementation issues mean for education and education research? Experts will address this question with respect to a handful of key stakeholder groups: education researchers; states; urban districts; and student populations who have been traditionally underserved.
	Committee Moderator: Robert Floden
1:45 pm	Implications for Education Research & Researchers
	Robert Boruch, University of Pennsylvania Anthony (Eamonn) Kelly, George Mason University		Bio	Remarks Remarks			Presentation Presentation
2:15 pm	Q&A
3:00 pm	Break
3:15 pm	Implications for States
	Wesley Bruce, Indiana Department of Education		Bio	Remarks			Presentation
3:30 pm	Implications for Urban Districts
	Sharon Lewis, Council of Great City Schools		Bio	Remarks			Presentation
3:45 pm	Implications for Traditionally Underserved Populations
	Vinetta Jones, Howard University		Bio	Remarks			Presentation
4:00 pm	Q&A
4:30 pm	Wrap-up Discussion of Themes & Implications
	Kay Dickersin, CORE			Wrap Up
5:00 pm	Adjourn