Research & Evaluation

Committed to Solving Complex Problems through Research and Evaluation

UChicago STEM Education conducts a variety of research and evaluation work that ranges from theory building to research-practice partnerships, creating bridges to our tool development and school support work.

Some of our research work:

Moving the Field of Financial Education Forward

Moving the Field of Financial Education Forward

The finEDge team did extensive research in developing the program: research to ensure the curriculum is evidence-based, including how students learn financial concepts, and what high school students need to know. finEDge utilizes research to develop students content knowledge, decision-making competencies, and productive financial attitudes and behaviors, as well as strengthening teachers content knowledge and confidence. Continuous program improvement is a core aspect of the finEDge approach.

Understanding How Deeper Learning Innovations Spread

Understanding How Deeper Learning Innovations Spread

With support from the Hewlett Foundation, Outlier is in a Research-Practice Partnership with Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) in Florida that aims to spread deeper learning practices in all elementary schools. BCPS practitioners are infusing deeper learning practices into existing district structures while Outlier is using implementation science to study the role that Readiness for Change plays in the innovation implementation and diffusion process.

Sharing, Learning, Inspiring Math Teachers

Sharing, Learning, Inspiring Math Teachers

Since the launch of the Everyday Mathematics Virtual Learning Community (VLC) project in 2010, the project team has consistently conducted research on the site’s efficacy and usage trends. Currently, the team is collaborating with researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and New York University on an NSF-funded study of improving teacher learning from lesson videos on the site. This work is uncovering how lesson videos can be constructed and framed to produce desired teacher and student learning outcomes.

Generating Knowledge About STEM Schools Across the Country

Generating Knowledge About STEM Schools Across the Country

In the STEM School Study, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Outlier partnered with 20 STEM schools to identify the essential elements of inclusive STEM Schools and examine how each influenced student outcomes. Visit Website.

In another NSF-funded project, Outlier worked with other researchers and a range of STEM school stakeholders to develop a STEM School Taxonomy that aimed to help measure one of the indicators of “successful K12 education” outlined by the National Research Council. Visit Website.

Math Activities for Families

Math Activities for Families

Becoming a Math Family is an NSF-funded project to build an online mathematics learning toolkit for families of young children. All of the resources in the Becoming a Math Family website, including activities and informational videos, are based on current research in psychology and mathematics education. The project team is researching what people do on the site and how the site changes parental attitudes towards mathematics after a period of use.

Partnering to Bring Computer Science to All

Partnering to Bring
Computer Science to All

Outlier has evaluated a number of CS programs, including programs run by Google, Code.org, and Tech Corps. In research, with funding from the National Science Foundation, Outlier partnered with Broward County Schools to bring CS into the elementary classroom, and with Wolcott School in Chicago to make APCSP more accessible to high school youth with learning differences.

Working towards a model for NGSA implementation in school systems

Working towards a model for NGSA implementation in school systems

The Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA) project is an NSF-funded collaboration between UChicago STEM Education and University of Illinois at Chicago to improve teacher understanding of elementary science content and formative assessment. The project team is working with educators to design high-quality assessments that include attention to science content, practices, and cross-cutting concepts. They are also researching how teachers implement these assessments and how to formulate teacher community around elementary science assessment.

Collaborating Locally to Advance Digital Media Tools for Youth

Collaborating Locally to Advance Digital Media Tools for Youth

Outlier is engaged in a long time collaboration with the Chicago Learning Exchange (formerly the Hive) beginning with strategic planning and progressing to evaluations of several CLX programs. Recently, CLX engaged Outlier to conduct a landscape study of the presence of digital media tools and technologies in out-of-school time programs in Chicago.

Getting on Track Early for School Success

Getting on Track Early for School Success

An interdisciplinary collaboration from the University of Chicago (Department of Psychology, Department of Sociology, Committee on Education, UChicago STEM Education) and NORC. We have developed statistically reliable pre-K literacy and mathematics assessments that will serve as the core of a coherent system of teacher supports working in close collaboration with partner preschool teachers.

Using Data for Strategic Planning and Improvement

Using Data for Strategic Planning and Improvement

Outlier is working with IEEE, the largest technical professional organization in the world to re-create and evaluate their K-12 outreach strategy. Beginning with articulating long and short term goals, Outlier worked with IEEE to develop a theory of action and is supporting execution of its associated strategy. Formative evaluation is ongoing.

Learning Trajectories for Everyday Computing

Learning Trajectories for Everyday Computing

This project is a collaborative effort between researchers, staff, and research assistants from the University of Florida, UChicago STEM Education, University of Illinois-Chicago, and the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign. Our research investigates how students’ understanding of fractions is influenced by experiences with integrated lessons that combine mathematics and CT.

Evaluating Programs Across the Globe

Evaluating Programs Across the Globe

Outlier has evaluated a number of programs around the globe including Uruguay, South Africa, Peru, the Netherlands, and Brazil. Google’s RISE Awards program, for example, helped nonprofit organizations around the world to engage girls, underrepresented minorities and students facing socio-economic barriers in computer science. Outlier created a typology of RISE Awardees and did case stories in several of the award countries.