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Policy Challenges Conferences

Policy Challenges Conferences: Bridging Research and Practice hosts regular events with targeted audiences around the Northeast and Islands Region to bring evidence to practitioners, from IES Practice Guides published by panels of experts to key findings from REL-NEI’s research staff. Table talks, Q&A with expert speakers, and breakout sessions all serve to advance the conversation and connect research to practice.

View the Event Archives

	Webinar: Defining and Measuring Educator Effectiveness (February and March 2011) This two-part webinar co-sponsored with the Maine Department of Education, New England Comprehensive Center, and National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality assisted Maine state education leaders, practitioners, and key constituent groups in learning about research on evaluating educator effectiveness using multiple measures. Dr. Laura Goe of NCCTQ presented an overview of research on measuring educator effectiveness, and a panel of Maine education policymakers and practitioners shared their experiences and perspectives on the issue. Archive available.
	Multiple Measures of Teacher Effectiveness (June 2010) Leaders from the six New England states are participating in a regional network—the New England Collaborative for Educator Quality and Effectiveness (NECEQE)—to review research and share state efforts to develop policies and programmatic support for the complex challenge of measuring teacher effectiveness. This daylong meeting convened leaders from the Collaborative and their invited colleagues to delve more deeply into topics central to this undertaking: (a) defining teacher effectiveness, (b) measuring and evaluating teacher effectiveness, and (c) professional development and compensation systems tied to teacher evaluation. Featured speakers included Dr. Laura Goe and Charlotte Danielson.
	Webinar: Measuring Teacher Effectiveness in New England (May 2010) In this webinar co-hosted with the New England Comprehensive Center and the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, Dr. Douglas Harris at the University of Wisconsin–Madison presented current research on value-added models for measuring teacher effectiveness. Among the webinar participants were representatives from the New England Collaborative for Educator Quality and Effectiveness (NECEQE), a newly formed initiative comprised of teacher-effectiveness leaders from each of the six New England states. Archive available.
	Webinar: Implementing Response to Intervention (RTI) in Mathematics: Research-Based Strategies for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Grades K–8 Schools (February and March 2010) During this two-part webinar, Dr. Bradley Witzel of Winthrop University assisted district leaders and other educators in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in learning how to better implement response to intervention (RTI) in mathematics through a focus on eight research-based recommendations presented in an Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Practice Guide on the topic. Archive available.
	Using Research to Inform Mathematics Policy & Practice in Maine: A Focus on Algebra Recommendations in the National Mathematics Advisory Panel Report (August 2009) Dr. Francis “Skip” Fennell, co-author of “Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel” presented findings and recommendations from the report to math teachers, instruction specialists, and policymakers from across Maine. One of 24 panelists who reviewed more than 16,000 research studies, Fennell chaired the Panel’s Task Group on Conceptual Knowledge and Skills. The report is intended as a platform of action to improve the mathematics achievement of all students in the United States. In particular, the report emphasizes readiness for and success in algebra. Video available.
	State Investments in Early Childhood Education Programs (May 2009) This conference brought together a national expert on early childhood education (ECE) research, Dr. Christine Ross, with top state-level policymakers in Maine, including state legislators, the Commissioner of Education, and leading administrators of ECE programs. Early childhood education is a priority for Maine Gov. John Baldacci and the state legislature.