AERA Annual Meeting, April 17-21, 2020 San Francisco, CA

Districts in Research and Reform Business Meeting 

Time & Location: Mon, April 20, 7:00 to 8:00am, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Lobby Level, Golden Gate 3

Other AERA 2020 SIG-related events 

Roundtable presentations 

School Districts and Communities: Research-Practice Partnerships, Collaboration, and Trust Across Systems

Time & Location: Sat, April 18, 12:25 to 1:55pm, Marriott Marquis San Francisco, Fourth Level, Yerba Buena Salon 8

Session Type: Roundtable Session

Chair: Rebecca Ann Thessin, The George Washington University

Papers:

• Accountability for Acceptance: Examining Relational Trust between School Districts and the Communities They Serve - Molly Serene Dunn, Notre Dame of Maryland University
• A Practitioner Perspective on Research-Practice Partnerships: Leslie Hodges, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia - Joy Mordica, DeKalb County School System
• Framing a Research-Practice Partnership in the District of Columbia: A Multilateral Approach to Engagement - Rebecca Ann Thessin, The George Washington University; Elizabeth Grant, The George Washington University

Symposiums 

What Makes School Districts Effective?

Time & Location: Sun, April 19, 8:15 to 9:45am, Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Lobby Level, Golden Gate 8

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract: School districts are theorized on one hand to provide opportunities for robust educational reform and to improve outcomes for low-income communities and students of color, and on the other hand a possible hindrance for the “street-level bureaucrats” who enact policy changes in schools and classrooms. This session presents original research – both qualitative and quantitative – examining the multiple possible roles of school districts, with a goal for presenters and attendees to collaboratively examine what it means for a district to be effective or ineffective. The authors and attendees will consider and discuss what is known and what remains unknown about districts, their organization, and opportunities to improve student outcomes and reduce educational inequality.

Chair: Julie A. Marsh, University of Southern California

Papers:

• Why Do School Districts Matter? An Interdisciplinary and Empirical Review - David Blazar, University of Maryland - College Park; Beth Schueler, University of Virginia
• Redesigning the School Improvement Planning Process into an Instrument of Educational Equity: The Case of a Research-Practice Partnership - Lydia Rainey, University of Washington; Meredith I. Honig, University of Washington
• From “School System” to a “System of Schools”: A Comparative Case Study of District Governance - René Espinoza Kissell, University of California - Berkeley
• Evaluating Education Governance: Does State Takeover of School Districts Affect Educational Inputs and Outcomes? - Beth Schueler, University of Virginia; Joshua Bleiberg, Vanderbilt University

Discussant: Meredith I. Honig, University of Washington

Poster Session 

Time & Location: Sun, April 19, 2:15 to 3:45pm, Moscone Center, South Building, Exhibition Level, Moscone Hall A

Session Type: Poster Session

Papers

• A Grounded Theory of Teachers’ Implementation of the Common Core English Language Arts Standards in a district in Southern California - Isma Seetal, Concordia University - Irvine; Blanca Quiroz, Concordia University Irvine
• An Exploration of Equity Change Ideas Using Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycles in District Strategic Plan Projects - Yubo Zhang, Fairfax County Public Schools; Claire Silva, Fairfax County Public Schools
• Developing Principals’ Instructional Leadership for Mathematics in Ten School Districts - Frances E. Reade, WestEd
• Effects of School District Demographics on College Enrollment: A Look into Texas Independent School Districts - Ashley Majzun, Texas A&M University - College Station; Hyunkyung Kwon, Texas A&M University - College Station; Jungkyung Min, Texas A&M University - College Station
• Elementary Spanish and Korean Dual Language Programs in L.A. Unified: An Implementation Study - Q. Tien Le, San Francisco Unified School District; Britney Wise, Los Angeles Unified School District; Sydney Ganon; Andrew Thomas, Los Angeles Unified School District
• Examining the Effects of Performance Pay on Teacher Retention using a Collaborative Evaluation Model - Jessica Schnittka, University of California - Los Angeles; Feng Liu, American Institutes for Research; David Manzeske, American Institutes for Research; Ryan Williams, American Institutes for Research; John McClure Cumming, Jefferson County Public Schools