Impact: Rhode Island

Regional Impact

Rhode Island

Fast Response Projects

Fast Response Projects are short-term projects that respond to regional and national needs and priorities and provide research-based knowledge to inform policy and practice. They use methods such as research syntheses, mining of existing data sets, and descriptive studies. Completed projects are published as Issues & Answers Reports by the Institute of Education Sciences.

	Piloting a Searchable Database of Dropout Prevention Programs in Nine Low-Income Urban School Districts in the Northeast and Islands Region Despite evidence that some dropout prevention programs have positive effects, whether districts in the region are using such evidence-based programs has not been documented. This report details a pilot project to generate and share knowledge by building a searchable database of dropout programs and policies implemented in nine midsize urban school districts.
	How State Education Agencies in the Northeast and Islands Region Support Data-Driven Decision-Making in Districts and Schools The report examines the initiatives of state education agencies (SEAs) in the Northeast and Islands Region to support data-driven decision-making in districts and schools and describes the service providers hired to support this work. The report identifies four components of data-driven decision-making initiatives and finds that not all initiatives include all four.
	A Description of Foundation Skills Interventions for Struggling Middle-Grade Readers in Four Urban Northeast and Islands Region School Districts This study describes how four midsize urban school districts in the Northeast and Islands Region were providing foundation skills assessments and programs to struggling middle-grade readers. Researchers found variations, but also some similarities, in the districts’ use of tests and programs.
	How Eight State Education Agencies (SEAs) in the Northeast and Islands Region Identify and Support Low-Performing Schools and Districts This report describes and analyzes how eight state education agencies in the Northeast and Islands Region—those of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and Vermont—identify and support low-performing schools and districts under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).
	New Measures of English Language Proficiency and Their Relationship to Performance on Large-Scale Content Assessments Using assessment results for fifth- and eighth-grade English language learner (ELL) students in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont, this report finds that performance in the English language domains of reading and writing (as measured by the ACCESS for ELLs proficiency assessment) are significant predictors of performance on reading, writing, and mathematics assessments (as measured by the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program, or NECAP). The report also finds that the English language domains of reading and writing (literacy skills) are more closely associated with performance than are the language domains of speaking and listening (oral skills).
	Five States' Efforts to Improve Adolescent Literacy This report describes efforts by five states—Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Rhode Island—to improve adolescent literacy. Highlighting common challenges and lessons, the report examines how each state has engaged key stakeholders, set rigorous goals and standards, aligned resources to support adolescent literacy goals, built educator capacity, and used data to measure progress.
	Key Features of State Response to Intervention (RTI) Initiatives in the Northeast and Islands The report analyzes the RTI-related initiatives, policies, regulations, and structures for support in all nine REL-NEI jurisdictions. It finds that the six New England states and New York support RTI as an overall school instructional-improvement approach or an approach to determining special-education eligibility. It also finds that RTI documents in the seven jurisdictions address the eight core features of RTI as defined by the National Research Center on Learning Disabilities.
	Understanding the Reporting Behavior of School Bullying Victims Bullying in school is a form of aggressive conduct in which one or more students intentionally and repeatedly harasses, intimidates, or physically harms another student. Unfortunately many bullying events are not reported to school authorities. Learning more about the conditions in which bullying is reported or not would be instructive to concerned officials. This project will use national crime data to analyze the reporting of bullying events involving students in grades 6–12 (ages 12–18). This project is in progress.
	Teacher Preparation: Special Education Requirements for General Education Teachers More than 6 million students with disabilities are served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. Two-thirds of these students are in at least one course taught by general education teachers. Due to the increased inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms, it is essential for general education teachers to have the knowledge and skills needed to teach students with disabilities. This project will produce a report of the current certification requirements for general education teachers to teach students with disabilities in the Northeast and Islands Region. This project is in progress.