Reports - MERC SOE - Virginia Commonwealth University

Block Schedules in Virginia Schools: Purposes, Outcomes, and Policy Considerations

March 26, 2025

This research brief explores the use of block schedules in Virginia schools.

Career and Technical Education: Historical Insights, Current Impacts, and Policy Implications

Dec. 17, 2024

This research brief explores Career and Technical Education classes.

PK-12 Faculty and Staff Capacity to Support Student Mental Health

Dec. 16, 2024

This report shares findings from a survey about PK-12 faculty and staff capacity to support student mental health.

Exploring Perceptions of Advanced Coursework Enrollment Practices: A Multiple Case Study

Oct. 21, 2024

This report shares findings from a multiple case study about advanced coursework enrollment practices.

Trends, Challenges, and Evidence-Based Strategies for School Dropout Prevention in Virginia

Sept. 4, 2024

This research brief explores trends, challenges, and evidence-based strategies for school dropout prevention with a focus on Virginia

Understanding the Role of Out of School Time (OST) Providers in Urban School Systems in a Post-COVID Context

July 22, 2024

This research brief explores the role of out-of-school time providers and was produced in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond...

Factors That Inhibit and Support the Work of School-Based Mental Health Providers

July 22, 2024

This research brief explores research about the work of school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists...

Understanding the Virginia Literacy Act

April 19, 2024

This research and policy brief offers an overview of the Virginia Literacy Act....

Emerging Issues and Innovations in Public PK-12 Education: Implications for Strategic Planning

Dec. 8, 2023

This research and policy brief explores emerging issues and innovations that PK-12 school districts should consider when engaging in strategic planning....

Adolescent THC Usage in Virginia

Oct. 19, 2023

This research and policy brief explores evidence of the impact of such legalization on Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) usage in PK-12 aged youth, including smoking, vaping, edibles, and dabbing....

Administrator Feedback to Teachers

Aug. 31, 2023

This research and policy brief focuses on research-based strategies for administrators to provide feedback to teachers....

The Landscape of Advanced Coursework Participation: Understanding Disparities and Intersectionality

Nov. 10, 2023

This population-based study explored students' participation in advanced coursework in elementary schools (gifted/talented programs), middle schools (Algebra I+), and high schools (Advanced Placement)

Economic Evaluation of Teacher Induction Programs: Report and Toolkit

Nov. 27, 2023

This report, in combination with a How-to-Guide, the Teacher Induction Program Cost Matrix and the Teacher Induction Program Benefit-Cost Workbook, comprises a toolkit designed to evaluate teacher induction programs.

Strategies for Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in the Post Pandemic Era

July 5, 2023

This MERC research and policy brief explores contributing factors to increasing chronic absenteeism post-COVID-19 as well as strategies for addressing it....

Understanding the Implications of Work-Based Learning

Dec. 4, 2023

This report explores the implications of work-based learning for PK-12 school systems, institutions of higher education, and hosting organizations (e.g. employers).

School Division Policies Related to Suicide Prevention and Response

April 28, 2023

This MERC research and policy brief explores school division policies for suicide prevention....

Balancing the Benefits and Risks of AI Large Language Models in K12 Public Schools

April 21, 2023

This MERC research brief focuses on AI in schools. ...

Addressing School Bullying Since the Onset of COVID-19

March 31, 2023

This research brief explores peer reviewed literature and school board policies about addressing school bullying since the onset of COVID-19....

Teaching Writing to Middle School Students with Disabilities: A MERC Research Brief

Dec. 20, 2022

This research brief explores peer reviewed literature about effective strategies for teaching writing to middle school students with disabilities. ...

Cell Phones and Schools

Aug. 23, 2022

This research brief includes peer reviewed scholarship, policies, and news stories related to cell phones and schools....

Who Takes Dual Enrollment Classes? A Research Brief

March 31, 2022

This research brief includes peer reviewed scholarship, policies, and news stories related to cell phones and schools....

Teacher Retention Policy Coherence: An Analysis of Policies and Practices Across Federal, State, and Division Levels

Jan. 12, 2022

This report analyzes the coherence of federal, state, and division level policies guiding teacher retention in metropolitan Richmond

Will They Stay or Will They Go? Analysis of the 2019 VDOE Working Conditions Survey

Aug. 9, 2021

This report explores data from the 2019 VDOE teacher working conditions survey

The School Principal and Teacher Retention

Aug. 9, 2021

This report from the MERC Teacher Retention study explores the role of the school principal in teacher retention

Digital Equity in the Time of COVID: Student Use of Technology for Equitable Outcomes

July 21, 2021

This report explores equitable digital use and outcomes during COVID-19

Analyzing Advanced Placement (AP): Making the Nation's Most Prominent College Preparatory Program More Equitable

April 13, 2021

This report explores racial and socioeconomic equity in Advanced Placement (AP) programs

Digital Equity in the Time of COVID-19: The Access Issue

Dec. 4, 2020

This report explores racial and socioeconomic equity in Advanced Placement (AP) programs

Dual Language Programming: A Model to Enhance School Climate and Academic Achievement in Diverse Schools

Oct. 20, 2020

This policy brief summarizes research and data on English learners (ELs) in Virginia and current dual language (DL) education policies and practices....

Unpacking "Giftedness" - Research and Strategies for Promoting Racial and Socioeconomic Equity

Oct. 13, 2020

This report explores: 1) What does it mean to be "gifted?" 2) Who receives gifted services? 3) Why does this mater? 4) What factors contribute to disparities in gifted services? and 5) What strategies help to address disparities in gifted education?...

Supporting Student Mental Health During and After COVID-19

Aug. 25, 2020

This report offers a rapid review of research about supporting student mental health during and after COVID-19...

Cultural Diversity Professional Development in Schools Survey

Jan. 31, 2020

This is the final report on a multi-year MERC study focused on professional development for success in culturally diverse schools. ...

Understanding Racial Inequity in School Discipline Across the Richmond Region

July 15, 2019

This is the final report from a multi-year MERC study on racial disparities in school discipline, commissioned in 2015. The report includes quantitative and qualitative findings and concludes with recommendations for research, policy, and practice. ...

Contexts of Cultural Diversity Professional Development in Schools

July 3, 2018

This report comes from component one of MERC's Professional Development for Success in Culturally Diverse Schools study. It explores background context for professional development on cultural diversity in the MERC region. ...

A Review of Disciplinary Interventions in K12 Public Education

June 1, 2018

Why Do Racial Disparities in School Discipline Exist?

Sept. 22, 2017

This brief is part of larger regional study of racial equity in discipline policies and practices conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC)....

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): A Research Brief

March 22, 2017

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...

Understanding Teacher Morale

Jan. 17, 2017

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...

Middle School Mathematics Teacher Evaluation

May 2, 2016

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...

Response to Intervention to Educate the Diverse Needs of Elementary Students

Nov. 2, 2015

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

April 1, 2015

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...

Professional Development of Teachers

Dec. 1, 2014

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...

Benchmark Testing: Phase 1 and 2

June 1, 2013

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...

Mix It Up With Blended Learning in K-12 Schools

Sept. 2, 2013

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 at the Secondary Level

May 1, 2013

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...

Review of Literature: Teaching Evaluation

March 1, 2013

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...

Online Learning in Virginia: Exploring the Landscape

March 1, 2012

As online learning in the K‐12 realm grows, so does the body of literature around it. Books, guidance documents and empirical research in the area are proliferating. What follows is by no means intended to be a complete review of the literature...

Percentile Growth Modeling

Nov. 1, 2011

In the following, I will commence by briefly considering the policy context from which the discussion of rewards and performance has emerged. I then touch on the emergence of the current emphasis on teacher quality, and some of the key issues involve...

Self-Regulated Learning in the Classroom

Oct. 11, 2011

Self-regulated learning (SLR) is recognized as an important predictor of student academic motivation and achievement. This process requires students to independently plan, monitor, and assess their learning. However, few students naturally do this...

Teacher Evaluation: Artifacts

Sept. 1, 2011

Developed by the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Standards for the Professional Practice of Teachers (2011) includes seven teacher performance standards that define what teachers should know and be able to do. The seven performance...

Indicators, Trends and Promising Interventions: Review of Literature

Sept. 1, 2010

The focus of this review of literature is dropout prevention and promoting retention of students at the secondary level. Brief background information is presented summarizing the history and current state of dropouts in the United States, including...

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

June 1, 2010

The overall purpose of this project was to conduct a program evaluation of services provided to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across all school divisions within the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC). Two phases of...

Reading Strategies for Middle and High School Students: A Review of Literature

March 1, 2009

This review targets “best practices” in adolescent reading instruction. While writing is inextricably related to reading, this review did not explicitly target studies of writing. However, where writing studies informed reading instruction, they were...

Classroom Assessment Practices

Oct. 1, 2008

Assessment is becoming increasingly important in classrooms as school systems respond to federal and state testing mandates. The increasing emphasis on assessment surely impacts student outcomes such as engagement and motivation, and ultimately...

On-Time College Graduation: A School/University Collaborative Study

Sept. 1, 2008

In the face of international comparisons showing the lower level of academic skills of students in the United States, high schools have been criticized for not adequately preparing their graduates for the academic demands of college life. This is...

Parental Involvement on Educational Outcomes

Aug. 1, 2008

The efficacy of parental involvement in schools is usually taken for granted, but the issue is so complex that a single study cannot reasonably measure the effectiveness of parental involvement and its influence on educational outcomes.

Differentiated Instruction: A Review of Literature

May 1, 2008

Differentiated instruction is recognized to be a compilation of many theories and practices related to effective teaching and its link to student achievement.

Issues, Challenges, and Needs of High School ESL and Content-Area Teachers

April 8, 2008

Differentiated instruction is recognized to be a compilation of many theories and practices related to effective teaching and its link to student achievement.

Alignment of District Assessments with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)

Oct. 1, 2007

Parents, teachers, and school administrators all have one common goal — student success. Teachers have been trusted to impart knowledge to students, while hopefully fostering a love of learning, then assessing how much the students know.

The Work Skills Mismatch: A Review of Literature

Jan. 15, 2007

For the purpose of this review, imagine the case of a firm which has job openings for recent high school graduates. In choosing new employees for these openings, the potential employer is trying to select the most suitable applicants from a pool of

Secondary Specialty Centers and Magnet School Admissions

Jan. 10, 2007

The purpose of the review is to consider the fairness of admissions processes related to magnet schools and specialty centers.

Middle School Students with Learning Disabilities and English SOLS: Part II Best Practices

Jan. 1, 2007

This paper reports the findings of Phase II of a MERC study on middle school students with learning disabilities (LD) completed during academic year 2005 – 2006.

Classroom Assessment Practices and Student Motivation

Sept. 1, 2006

Assessment is becoming increasingly important in classrooms as school systems respond to federal and state testing mandates.

Instructional Strategies to Increase Motivation

June 1, 2006

Closing the achievement gap between African, Native, and Hispanic American and their European and Asian American counterparts has been a concern for decades.

Educators' Perceptions of Mobile Students and the Interventions that Assist Them

March 16, 2006

In the educational climate of no Child Left Behind (NCLB), school personnel are searching for any means available to help all children succeed academically and meet state standards.

High Stakes Testing and Students with Learning Disabilities

Jan. 30, 2005

In the era of high stakes testing there are questions about the performance of students with learning disabilities.

Instructional Strategies to Enhance Reading Achievement

Jan. 15, 2005

Certainly researchers and teachers are in agreement regarding the components that are needed to read successfully and have a good idea of the skills that proficient readers consistently use.

Low Achievement Early in School

Dec. 1, 2004

The purpose of the current study were to (a) examine the relationship between academic achievement and social competence in a sample of kindergarten and first grade students, and (b) investigate the interventions their teachers are using with low...

Students At-Risk for Academic Failure

March 15, 2004

Increasing pressure on teachers and administrators due to high-stakes testing has led to increased risk to our most vulnerable population, those students who arrive at school without the prerequisite skills necessary to successfully participate in...

Testing and Students with Learning Disabilities

March 15, 2004

Since the landmark work A Nation At-Risk (National Commission on Excellence in Education, 1988), school systems in the United States have been evolving by a myriad of reform efforts, particularly with regard to the “standards movement.”

Transition into Middle School and High School

Feb. 10, 2004

Making a transition to a new school causes anxiety for students and can challenge the coping skills of many adolescents, especially those at risk.

Alignment of Classroom Assessments with the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL)

Jan. 15, 2004

Test Score Data to Improve Instruction

July 1, 2003

Across the United States most school districts and state departments of education have embraced high-stakes testing for their public schools and students.

Assessment of Students with Disabilities: Review of Literature

Sept. 2, 2002

Since the landmark work A Nation at Risk (1998), a report that warned about “the rising tide of mediocrity in American public education”, school systems in the United States have been evolving by way of myriad of reform efforts......

Teachers’ Use of High-Stakes Test Results to Improve Instruction: A Review of Literature

May 1, 2002

Across the United States many school districts and state departments of education have embraced high-stakes testing for their public schools and students.

The Effectiveness of Summer Remediation for High-Stakes Testing

May 15, 2002

Summer school has been an integral part of American education for many years. Historically, summer school was used to prevent delinquency, to keep children “off the streets.” While this function is still served, the purposes of summer school now...

Using the Internet to Support K-12 Teaching and Learning: A Review of Literature

March 1, 2002

The purpose of this literature review is to examine what research and theory has informed us about using information and communication technologies (ICT), specifically the Internet, to support K-12 instruction. In the fall of 2000, 77% of K-12...

Student Success in Title I Elementary Schools

Jan. 15, 2002

The purpose of this study was to examine factors present in schools with students who performed higher or demonstrated greater improvement on SOL(Standards of Learning) tests that might have been expected based on student demographics. The study...

Students' Perspectives on Their High School Experience

Oct. 1, 2001

This study explored what it is like to be a high school student today. Our purpose was to describe the extent to which the schools in the metropolitan area are meeting the needs of their diverse body of students...

Retaining Quality Teachers

Sept. 1, 2001

At this time, when the need for good teachers and good teaching is unprecedented, America is experiencing a shortage of qualified individuals prepared to take on the challenges of the profession, particularly in critical shortage areas, such as math...

Dropping Out: Why Students Leave School

May 1, 2001

Previous research has indicated that students permanently leave school for a number of reasons including low grades, overage, high absentee rate, behavior problems, pregnancy, work, family problems, or drugs/alcohol. While many of these factors are...