Much of MERC’s research work is disseminated through published reports. This includes full reports on the findings of out empirical research studies, literature reviews, white papers, and research briefs.
Our most recent publications are available on our website, however, you may access all of MERC’s publications through VCU’s Scholar’s Compass.
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a modified reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Signed into law on December 10, 2015, it replaces the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 and provides federal guidelines...
The Policy and Planning Council of MERC commissioned the Understanding Teacher Morale study in the Fall of 2014 to address concerns about teacher job satisfaction and morale in the region. This study involved a multi-case study of 44 teachers across...
An Examination of the Nature of Post Observation Feedback Provided to Middle School Mathematics Teachers by Christine Trinter and Heather Carlson-Jaquez (May 2016) Many studies have examined teacher evaluation but few address the discipline expertise...
With the reauthorization of the Individual with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (U.S. Department of Education, 2004), Response to Intervention (RTI) became an alternative method of identifying children with disabilities. Much research as been...
Academic Rigor for All: A Research Report by Dr. Gabriel A. Reich, Dr. Volkan Sevim, Amanda B. Turner (Spring 2015) Rigor can be defined in any number of ways. We found an imbalance between the ways in which rigor has been defined by the Virginia...
Opportunities to Personalize Teacher Learning: Innovative Approaches to Bridge Evaluation and Professional Development for Continuous Improvement by Laura Kassner, Ed.D., Educational Consultant (December 2014). The following seven innovative approac...
As School districts respond to test-based accountability requirements the emphasis on using data to drive decision making has most recently focused on using interim or benchmark assessment results. The use of these assessments to monitor student...
The term “blended Learning” represents a wide spectrum of delivery options tools, and pedagogies, but conceptually refers to instruction that is a mix or blended of traditional face-to face (f2f) and online components...
Project based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach designed to capture student interest by integrating a contemporary and relevant problem or issue with content standards. The expectation is that students who have not been successful under...
This review of the literature on teacher evaluation was developed at the invitation of the MERC Policy and Planning Council in context of the current focus on teacher evaluation in Virginia. Consequently, in this document, high priority was accorded...
