Research and Development
Strands

PRIORITY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STRANDS

CREATE has refined its research strands and has identified seven priority research and development strands to guide its initiatives.  All seven strands are interconnected and stem from the larger question of:

How can teacher preparation programs better produce a sufficient supply of quality teachers, increase teacher retention rates, and improve K-12 student achievement?

The seven priority research and development strands identified by CREATE are:

  1. Goal-based Managed Production and Placement of Educators
  2. Assessment of Educator Preparation, Curriculum, and Instruction
  3. Teacher Induction and Support
  4. Continuous Learning and Development of Teachers
  5. Leadership and Teacher Preparation
  6. Faculty Engagement in Teacher Preparation
  7. Purpose-driven School/University Partnerships

 

Where appropriate, research studies will strive to address the identified priority research topics across content specific curriculum areas such as: English, Social Studies, Science, Math, etc.

For each of these research strands, both goals and objectives of inquiry as well as examples of significant research questions are identified.

GOAL-BASED MANAGED PRODUCTION AND PLACEMENT OF EDUCATORS

Goals and Objectives:

  • Investigate data collection methods and information system improvements related to teacher production, placement, and retention.
  • Report on current state of teacher production and placement data collection methods.
  • Identify characteristics of effective data collection methods used by individual teacher preparation programs as well as system wide processes.
  • Describe innovative and successful uses of information by teacher preparation programs for self-assessment and continuous improvement.

Examples of Significant Research Questions:

  • To what extent do individual universities collect data related to teacher production, placement, performance, and retention? How is the data collected and how is it used systematically to improve practice both at the university and public schools?
  • To what extent do university systems collect data related to teacher production, placement, performance, and retention? How is the data collected and how is it used systematically to improve practice within the university system and public schools?
  • What are the components of effective university data collection methods?
  • What internal systems are in place for key decision-makers to analyze and make use of information generated through data collection efforts?

ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATOR PREPARATION, CURRICULUM, AND INSTRUCTION

Goals and Objectives:

  • Document and detail the models utilized in traditional and alternative teacher preparation programs, and understand variation among such models.
  • Understand how individual faculty members examine, interpret, and enact their teaching roles and responsibilities within such models.
  • Understand the philosophical, economic, and policy underpinnings that shape such models.
  • Identify characteristics of successful teacher preparation programs that:
    • fully engage Arts and Science faculty in the preparation of prospective teachers.
    • demonstrate close cooperation with public schools and educational practice.

Examples of Significant Research Questions:

  • What differences and similarities exist across teacher preparation programs?
    • What kinds of pedagogical preparation are employed and to how do they affect teacher retention and student achievement?
    • What kinds of subject matter preparation are provided and how do they affect teacher retention and student achievement?
    • What kinds of clinical training are provided and how do they affect teacher retention and student achievement?
    • How are multiple forms of externally validated assessment used?
  • What organizational models are used by teacher preparation programs?
  • What types of candidate assessment and program assessment systems are teacher education programs investing resources?
  • What program content issues are teacher preparation programs facing?
  • How do faculty members understand and enact their teaching roles and responsibilities within various models?
  • What are the components of high-quality teacher preparation program

TEACHER INDUCTION AND SUPPORT

Goals and Objectives:

  • Identify characteristics of successful induction programs.
  • Examine the relationship among teacher preparation programs, teacher induction and support, and issues of teacher retention and student academic achievement.
  • Examine the role of the building principal in teacher induction

Examples of Significant Research Questions:

  • What are the effects of induction and mentoring on beginning teacher turnover?
  • What is the impact of the assignment of the beginning teacher?
  • How widespread are induction programs? How many teachers participate in induction programs?
  • What are the components and characteristics of a successful teacher induction program?
  • What support factors influence the success of an induction program?

CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS

Goals and Objectives:

  • Investigate the role of professional development and continuing education programs in teacher preparation.
  • Identify characteristics of effective professional development and continuing education programs.
  • Examine the relationship(s) between programs of professional development and continuing education and issues of teacher retention and student academic achievement.

Examples of Significant Research Questions:

  • How is effectiveness measured? How are the results used by providers, schools, and others to improve quality and strengthen impact on teaching performance?
  • To what extent do colleges of education actively seek to provide professional development and continuing education opportunities to teachers?
  • What kinds of professional development and continuing education programs, and how much of them, do teachers need to stay current with content specific curriculum? Are there differences by grade level? Are there differences by subject area?
  • Do professional development and continuing education programs and processes change teaching practice?
  • What are the effects of professional development on curriculum, performance goals, and pedagogy?
  • What do high-quality professional development and continuing education programs look like?
  • Is there a relationship between access to professional development and continuing education programs/services and issues of teacher retention and student academic achievement?
  • Do teachers in different stages of their growth benefit from different types of professional development?

LEADERSHIP AND TEACHER PREPARATION

Goals and Objectives:

  • Explore the role of teacher preparation program leadership and successful teacher preparation programs.
  • Identify characteristics of highly effective leaders of teacher preparation programs.

 

Examples of Significant Research Questions:

  • What policies and strategies have been used successfully by universities and their leaders to improve and sustain the quality of their teacher preparation programs and the teachers they produce?
  • What leadership model(s) is effective for teacher preparation programs?
  • How (and to what extent) do Deans and Department Heads attract broad participation in teacher preparation programs?
  • How (and to what extent) do College of Education Deans interface with Arts and Science Deans and faculty, community leaders, and public school administrators?
  • What leadership qualities do highly effective deans of successful teacher preparation programs exhibit?

Faculty Engagement in Teacher Preparation

Goals and Objectives

  • Investigate characteristics of faculty involvement in various dimensions of teacher preparation.
  • Examine levels of faculty involvement in public school partnerships.

Examples of Significant Research Questions:

  • What are the expectations for faculty involvement in the various programmatic functions of the teacher preparation program?
  • How (and to what extent) do faculty members engage in induction activities for novice teachers?
  • How (and to what extent) do faculty members engage in professional development which supports continued, on-the-job learning of teachers?
  • How much and what types of research do faculty conduct that focuses on the impact of their teacher preparation programs on K-12 student achievement?

Purpose-Driven School/University Partnerships

Goals and Objectives

  • Examine the structure and function of school/university partnerships within teacher preparation programs.
  • Examine the use of performance data in strategic planning to design, implement, evaluate and revise partnerships.

Examples of Significant Research Questions:

  • How does the university set goals for and assess the effectiveness of its school/university partnerships?
  • How does the partnership support the learning needs of faculty/staff, teacher candidates and K-12 students?