Learning Research and Development Center

Learning Policy Center

www.lpc.pitt.edu

Summary

In 2007, the University of Pittsburgh established a Learning Policy Center (LPC) and a Learning Science and Policy (LSAP) Ph.D. program to advance ideas that lay at the intersection of policy and learning. The LPC utilizes the rich talent pool of the School of Education, the Learning Research and Development Center, the Institute For Learning and other regional assets to connect learning research with education policy decision-makers.

The mission of the Learning Policy Center is to foster high quality learning environments for both students and professionals in public schools. Toward that end, we aim to infuse into policy decisions high quality, timely research on effective teaching and learning and on the school, district, and policy conditions that support their improvement.

The LPC is a unique voice advising on the design, implementation, and impact of policies that aim to influence what teachers and students are expected to learn and that shape their opportunities to learn. The LPC investigates learning by conducting rigorous academic research on critical policy issues, informs policymakers of learning research findings, influences policy decisions by actively engaging in policy work, and involves education stakeholders including researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in discussions of education reform challenges and solutions.

The education policy issues explored by the center include:

* Defining, measuring, and enhancing teacher and leader quality
* Building school and district capacity
* Improving instruction in content areas
* Evaluating and interpreting education policies

People

Project Publications

Coburn, C. E., & Stein, M.K. (Editors). (forthcoming). Research and practice in education: Building alliances, bridging the divide. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Coburn, C.E., Honig, M. & Stein, M.K. (In Press). What is the evidence on districts’ use of evidence? In J. D. Bransford, D. J. Stipek, N. J. Vye, L.M. Gomez & D. Lam (Eds.), Educational Improvement: What Makes It Happen and Why? Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Resnick, L.B., Wiliam, D., Apodaca, R., & Rangel, E. (in press). The relationship between assessment and the organization and pratice of teaching. In B. McGaw, P. Peterson, & E. Baker (Eds.), International Encyclopedia of Education, 3rd Edition. London: Elsevier.
Robyn, A. & Russell, J. L. (under review). Redefining the role of school districts through standards-based accountability policies: Successes and challenges. Educational Administration Quarterly. [co-lead authors]
Rowan, B. & Camburn, E. & Correnti, R. & Miller, R. (In Press). How comprehensive school reform works: Insights from a Study of Instructional Improvement. To appear in Knowledge and Equality – How Consistent are Education and Training Policies? French-American Cross-cultural Reflections.
Stein, M.K., & Kim, G. (In press). The role of mathematics curriculum materials in large-scale urban reform: An analysis of demands and opportunities for teacher learning. In J. Remillard, G. Lloyd, & B. Herbel-Eisenmann (Eds.), Teachers’ use of mathematics curriculum materials: Research perspectives on relationships between teachers and curriculum. New York: Routledge.
Rowan, B. & Correnti, R. (2009). Reforming instruction from the outside-in: Rates of instructional program implementation in three CSR designs. In Hoy, W.K. & Miskel, C. (Ed.s). Educational Administration: Theory, Research and Practice. Boston, MA:McGraw-Hill.
Rowan, B., & Correnti, R., & Miller, R., & Camburn, E. (2009). School improvement by design: Lessons from a study of Comprehensive School Reform programs. In Schneider, B., & Sykes, D. (ED.s) AERA Handbook on Education Policy Research, (pp. 637-651). New York: Routledge.
Rowan, B., & Correnti, R., & Miller, R., & Camburn, E. (2009). School improvement by design: Lessons from a study of Comprehensive School Reform programs. In Schneider, B., & Sykes, D. (ED.s) AERA Handbook on Education Policy Research.
Coburn, C. E. & Russell, J. L. (2008). District policy and teachers’ social networks. Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, v30, n3, 203-235.
Coburn, C. E. & Russell, J. L. (2008). Getting the most out of professional learning communities and coaching: Promoting interactions that support instructional improvement. Learning Policy Brief, 1(3), 1-4.
Correnti, R. (2008). Professional development as a lever for changing teacher practice: Policy Brief, v.1(2). Pittsburgh: The Learning Policy Center.
Correnti, R. (2008). Professional development as a lever for changing teacher practice: Policy Brief, v.1(2). Pittsburgh: The Learning Policy Center.
Correnti, R. (2008). Professional development as a lever for changing teacher practice: Policy Brief, v.1(2). Pittsburgh: The Learning Policy Center.
Curry, M., Jaxon, K., Russell, J. L., Callahan, M. A., & Bicais, J. (2008). Examining the Practice of Beginning Teachers’ Micropolitical Literacy within Professional Inquiry Communities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24 (3), 660-673. (Abstract-html)
Hamilton, L.S., Stecher, B.M., Russell, J.L., Marsh, J.A., & Miles, J. (2008). Accountability and teaching practices: School-level actions and teacher responses. In B. Fuller, M.K. Henne, & E. Hannum (Eds.), Strong state, weak schools: The benefits and dilemmas of centralized accountability (Research in the Sociology of Education, Vol. 16, pp.31-66). St. Louis, MO: Emerald Group Publishing.
Matsumura, L.C., Garnier, H., Slater, S.C., & Boston, M.B. (2008). Measuring instructional interactions at scale, Educational Assessment, 13(4), 267-300.
Matsumura, L.C., Slater, S.C., & Crosson, A. (2008). Classroom climate, rigorous instruction and curricula, and students’ interactions in urban middle school classrooms. Elementary School Journal, 108 (4), 293-312.
Mehalik, M. M., & Doppelt, Y., & Schunn, C. D. (2008). Middle-schools science through design-based learning versus scripted inquiry: Better overall science concept learning and equity gap reduction. Journal of Engineering Education. (Abstract-html)
Russell, J. L. (2008). Defining kindergarten in an era of accountability. California Kindergarten Association Journal: Teaching, Research and Practice, 1-15.
Stecher, B. M., Epstein, S., Hamilton, L. S., Marsh, J. A., Robyn, A., McCombs, J. S., Russell, J., & Naftel, S. (2008). Pain and Gain: Implementing No Child Left Behind in three states, 2004-2006. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation.
Stein, M.K. & Coburn, C.E. (2008). Architectures for learning: A comparative analysis of two urban districts. The American Journal of Education, 114, 583-626.
Stein, M.K., & Clare-Matsumura, L. (2008). Measuring instruction for teacher learning. In D. Gitomer (Ed.), Measurement issues and the assessment of teacher quality. New York: Sage.
Stein, M.K., Kaufman, J., & Sutherland, S. (2008). Examining the relationship between teacher human capital, curriculum use, and quality of implementation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York.
Correnti, R. & Rowan, B. (2007). Opening Up the Black Box: Literacy Instruction in Schools Participating in Three Comprehensive School Reform Programs. American Educational Research Journal, v.44 (2), 298-338. (Abstract-html)
Hamilton,L. S., Stecher, B. M., Marsh, J. A., McCombs, J. S., Robyn, A.,Russell, J. L., Naftel, S., & Barney, H. (2007). Standards-based Accountability Under No Child Left Behind: Experiences of Teachers and Administrators in Three States. Santa Monica: RAND. (Abstract-html)
Resnick, L.B., & Matsumura, L.C. (Winter, 2007). Academic proficiency: Bright hopes, blurry vision. Voices in education (14).
Cho, K., Schunn, C. D., & Wilson, R. (2006). Validity and reliability of scaffolded peer assessment of writing from instructor and student perspectives. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(4), 891-901. (Abstract-html)
Coburn, C.E., & Stein, M.K. (2006). Communities of practice theory and the role of teacher professional community in policy implementation. In M. I. Honig (Ed.), New directions in education policy implementation: Confronting complexity. Albany, NY: The State University of New York. (Abstract-html)
Russell, J. L. (2006). An Enduring Tension: Kindergarten Education in an Era of Accountability. In C. Miskel & W. Hoy (eds.). Contemporary Issues in Educational Policy And School Outcomes (Research and Theory in Educational Administration) Greenwich, CT: Information Age. (Abstract-html)
Matsumura, L.C. (2005). Creating high-quality classroom assignments. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Education (a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group).
Moin, L., Dorfield, J., & Schunn, C. D. (2005). Where can we find future K-12 science & math teachers? A search by academic year, discipline, and achievement level. Science Education, 89(6), 980-1006. (Abstract-html)
Stein, M.K., Hubbard, L., & Mehan, H. (2004). Reform ideas that travel far afield: The two cultures of reform in New York City’s District #2 and San Diego. The Journal of Educational Change, 5, 161-197. (Abstract-html)
Stein, M.K., & Coburn, C.E. (2003). Toward producing usable knowledge for the improvement of educational practice: A conceptual framework. In Abstracts, Biennial Meeting of the European Conference for Research on Learning and Instruction. Padova, Italy.
Stein, M.K., & Nelson, B.S. (2003). Leadership content knowledge. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25(4), 423-448. (Abstract-html)
Matsumura,L.C., Garnier, H., Pascal, J., & Valdes, R. (2002). Measuring instructional quality in accountability systems: Classroom assignments and student achievement. Educational Assessment, 8(3), 207-229. (Abstract-html)
Matsumura,L.C., Patthey-Chavez, G.G., Valdes, R., Garnier, H. (2002). Teacher feedback, writing assignment quality, and third-grade students’ revision in lower- and higher-achieving urban schools. Elementary School Journal, 103(1). 3-25.
Rowan, B. & Correnti, R. & Miller, R. (2002). What large-scale, survey research tells us about teacher effects on student achievement: Insights from the Prospects study of elementary schools. Teachers College Record, 104(8), 1525-1567. (Abstract-html)
Stein, M.K., & D’Amico, L. (2002). Inquiry at the crossroads of policy and learning: A study of a district-wide literacy initiative. Teachers College Record, 104(7), 1313-1344.