K-12 Education

five middle-school and high-school aged girls walking down sidewalk by school building

Access to a high-quality K-12 education is critical for the optimal growth and development of every child. Children who attend excellent schools benefit from a range of opportunities designed to develop their intellectual abilities and social skills. The benefits are long-lasting, as educational achievement is linked to higher lifetime earnings and better health. However, there remains a stubborn achievement gap in America's schools due to disparities in funding and teacher training. FPG's work in K-12 education aims to provide educators, public officials, and parents with the resources and tools needed to ensure that a high-quality education is accessible to students from all backgrounds and at all grade levels.

Featured Publication

FPG researchers Ximena Franco-Jenkins, PhD, and Doré LaForett, PhD, conducted a study that examined parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of student learning in Spanish–English Dual Language Education (DLE) programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more.

Featured Project

As a Learning Partner for the Effective Implementation Cohort (EIC), the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at FPG seeks to support the cohort of Provider-Local Education Agency partnerships in their implementation and measurement efforts related to their scale-up of high-quality mathematics curricula.

Featured Person

Ximena Franco-Jenkins, PhD, is a senior research scientist at FPG, co-director of FPG's National Implementation Research Network (NIRN), and the early childhood portfolio lead at NIRN. She has more than 17 years of experience in applied research, primarily with ethnically diverse children and families, dual language learners , and multilingual learners within school and community settings.

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A Robust Mixed-Methods Evaluation of the Florida Reading Corps Program

The purpose of this project, in partnership with ServeMinnesota, will focus on two distinct but related research aims. First, it will evaluate the effectiveness of the updated and expanded Florida Reading Corps program. Second, it will ensure that the Florida Reading Corps program operates in a maximally equitable manner for all students, especially for Black and Latine students, multi-lingual learners, and/or students experiencing poverty.

An Effectiveness Replication of Targeted Reading Instruction: Investigating Long-Term Student and Teacher Impacts

This replication study seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of Targeted Reading Instruction (TRI, formerly called Targeted Reading Intervention) in helping grade 1 struggling readers make substantial gains in reading during one school year. It extends prior TRI studies by conducting an independent external evaluation of the TRI, testing long-term impacts for struggling readers into grade 3, and examining teachers’ sustained impacts for three years.

BEE Project: Bilingualism, Education, and Excellence

The purpose of this study is to examine associations between language of instruction, student engagement, academic-self-concept, approaches to learning, student-teacher relationships, and gains in academic outcomes for students attending dual language educational settings.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Data, Analysis, and Research Partner

This project will support the Foundation in gathering and analyzing implementation and outcomes data for students with disabilities (SWD) served by charter management organization (CMO) grantees and their schools. NIRN will provide input on measures and tools used to gauge measurement and reporting capacity of CMOs and their schools; help design, develop, and deliver technical assistance and associated materials and events to support CMO capacity to provide data; and help design implementation and outcomes studies.

Calhoun ISD Capacity Development

The Calhoun Intermediate School District is seeking support for the capacity development of their systemic support staff and network partners in best practices of implementation science to support implementation of evidence-based practices with their participating local education agencies (LEAs). To support development of internal implementation capacity, the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) will provide virtual training, coaching, and consultation supports.

Math Implementation Cohort - Learning Partner

The K-12 Coherent Instructional Systems portfolio of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s U.S. Program seeks to support a cohort of provider-local education agency partnerships focused on implementing coherent instructional systems (CIS) built around high-quality middle-years mathematics curricula in contexts that serve Black, Latino, and/or English Learning-designated students, and students who are experiencing poverty. As a Learning Partner for the Effective Implementation Cohort (EIC), the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) at UNC-Chapel Hill's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute seeks to support the cohort of Provider-Local Education Agency partnerships in their implementation and measurement efforts related to their scale-up of high-quality mathematics curricula.

Minnesota DOE Capacity Development

The Minnesota Department of Education is seeking support for the capacity development of its team in advanced implementation practices. To support the development of implementation capacity, the National Implementation Research Network at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute proposes providing a blended model of implementation practice and implementation research to inform the future development of the Minnesota Department of Educations' implementation science infrastructure.

Network of New York Districts

The National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) will convene, facilitate and support a network of New York state school districts to address the systemic implementation vision of high-quality math instruction. Initial partners include Buffalo Public Schools, Yonkers Public Schools, and Rochester City School. The project’s primary goal is to support a cadre of districts within the state of New York through a reflective planning process focused on implementing a system’s vision for high-quality math instruction. The project’s long-term vision is to create capacity within each respective district to sustain its systems for achieving its vision for high-quality math instruction and desired outcomes for students, instructional staff, and the community.

Project EXPRESS: EXamining interventions to PRomote Executive function and Social Skills

The purpose of this study is to evaluate two group-based treatments: (1) the Program for Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), which targets social skills, and (2) Unstuck and On Target (UOT), which targets executive function skills. The interventions are two 45-minute sessions per week across 16 weeks and will be implemented by school-based staff in middle schools in North Carolina and Southern California (San Diego area).

Promoting Seasonal and Migrant Head Start Children's Development: Program Practices That Matter

This study aims to identify unobserved heterogeneity and capture complex patterns of program and classroom characteristics to inform targeted program quality improvement and teacher professional development, and identify program quality features and instructional practices that are beneficial for the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start children’s language and literacy development.

Scaling Targeted Reading Instruction (TRI) to Serve Students Impacted by COVID-19: High-Dosage Digital Implementation of an Effective Reading Intervention

This project will train school staff who support students using pull-out reading instruction and intervention (e.g., “educators” such as reading specialists, paraeducators, instructional facilitators, tutors) to use Targeted Reading Instruction (TRI, formerly called Targeted Reading Intervention) with two adaptations: 1) a digital version of the traditionally “paper and pencil” intervention (“TRI app”) in a 2) high dosage model whereby educators provide daily reading support to multiple K-3 students not yet reading on grade level.

State Implementation and Scaling-Up of Evidence-Based Practices (SISEP) Center

Effective implementation capacity is essential to improving education. The SISEP Center supports education systems in creating implementation capacity for evidence‐based practices benefiting students with disabilities. Project funding is by the Office of Special Education Programs.

University of Montana PAX GBG Project

The University of Montana’s Center for Children is seeking support to develop capacity in best practices of implementation science to support sustainability of their implementation of PAX Good Behavior (PAX GBG) in relevant staff in participating centers, and regional and local education agencies. To support development of internal implementation capacity, the National Implementation Research Network (NIRN) will provide virtual training, coaching, data collection, and consultation supports.

Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute

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