August 2016
International Congress of School Effectiveness Notice: Passing of Dr. Sam Stringfield
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of our colleague and dear friend Professor Sam Stringfield. Sam is recognized as was of the founding ICSEI community members and proudly noted recently that he had attended all but one ICSEI conference since the establishment of ICSEI in 1988. He was one of the first authors and active contributors to the school effectiveness literature and helped establish the ICSEI MORE Network. Sam and his wonderful wife Kathleen led three ICSEI conferences in 1997 (Memphis), 1999 (San Antonio), and 2015 (Cincinnati) hosting ICSEI members and colleagues from around the world with true southern US hospitality.
Sam was a regular keynote speaker and panel member at ICSEI conferences, and was a co-author of the State of the Art School and System Improvement article that foregrounded much of ICSEI’s current debate and work. Sam served as an ICSEI Board Member from 2000-2002 and accepted a second term from 2015 to his untimely death.
Sam was Professor and Educational Leadership Program Coordinator at the University of Cincinnati. He spent three decades studying teacher, school, and system-effects on academic and other achievements of students. Throughout his career Sam worked to improve schools for all young people, particularly those in areas of significant poverty. The High Reliability project, which he co-designed with Professor David Reynolds using school effectiveness principles, was successful in supporting and sustaining school improvement in many parts of the world. His core belief that those working within the School Effectiveness and School Improvement (SESI) movements had a responsibility to make a positive difference to schools and students, was infectious and compelling.
Sam was a prolific writer and author of over 170 articles, books and chapters. He co-authored three chapters in the 2016 International Handbook of Educational Effectiveness, and several articles on the application of high reliability organization processes in the context of schools and school systems.
Sam served as a member of the New Board of School Commissioners of the Baltimore City Public Schools, and in a variety of positions for the American Educational Research Association. He was the founding editor of the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), a member of the SESI Board, and served on the boards of several other highly respected journals.
Sam was a wonderful mentor to emerging scholars, and, because of his support and advocacy, many of his former graduate students and postdoctoral fellows went on to have productive and sometimes very prominent careers, making significant contributions to the fields of school effectiveness and improvement and educational change. Among all of his considerable contributions, this is one of his many lasting legacies.
Sam was a great scholar and champion of the SESI field. He was a firm believer in equity and excellence. He will be deeply missed by scholars, colleagues and friends around the world.
With deepest respect
Professor Michael Schratz, Professor Andy Hargreaves, and Professor Alma Harris
AERA Grants Program - Extended Deadline
Dear AERA Member,
AERA announces its Fall 2016 AERA Grants Program competition, which is currently accepting proposals for both Dissertation and Research Grants until Thursday, September 15, 2016. The AERA Grants Program, with support from the National Science Foundation, provides small grants for conducting studies of education policy and practice using federally-funded, large-scale data sets. Proposals are encouraged from a variety of disciplines, such as but not limited to, education, sociology, economics, psychology, demography, statistics, and psychometrics.
Below are short descriptions of each competition, along with links to the respective Calls for Proposals.
AERA Dissertation Grants. AERA provides dissertation support for advanced doctoral students to undertake doctoral dissertations using data from the large-scale national or international data sets supported by the NCES, NSF, and/or other federal agencies. The selection process is competitive. AERA Dissertation Grants are awarded for one-year for an amount of up to $20,000. The next application deadline is Thursday, September 15, 2016.
AERA Research Grants. AERA provides small grants for faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and other doctoral-level scholars to undertake quantitative research using data from the large-scale national or international data sets supported by the NCES, NSF, and/or other federal agencies. The selection process is competitive. AERA Research Grants are awarded for one or two years, for an amount of up to $35,000. The next application deadline isThursday, September 15, 2016.
Please do not hesitate to contact me via email (grantsprogram@aera.net) or phone (202-238-3200) if you have any questions regarding our program.
Best regards,
George L. Wimberly
Co-Principal Investigator, AERA-Grants Program
American Educational Research Association
1430 K Street NW
Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005
Coleman Report conference at Johns Hopkins School of Education
The Johns Hopkins School of Education is hosting a conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Coleman Report on October 5 and 6. Click here for more information.
AERA Education Research Conferences Program - September 20, 2016 deadline
The American Educational Research Association (AERA) invites proposals for conferences in education research. AERA supports research conferences intended to break new ground in substantive areas of inquiry, stimulate new lines of study on issues that have been largely unexplored, or develop innovative research methods or techniques that can contribute more generally to education research. Conferences may focus on conceptual, empirical, or methodological issues important to understanding the state of the knowledge and charting directions for future research. It is anticipated that research conferences will draw upon diverse disciplines and fields of inquiry where there is relevant scientific and scholarly expertise. The purpose of this program is to foster the accumulation of knowledge, to enhance dissemination, to encourage innovation, and to advance studies of the highest quality in education research. AERA’s Research Conferences Program awards grants of up to $35,000.
The deadline for submissions for Fall 2016 is September 20, 2016. For more information or to submit a proposal, please see the Call and Guidelines for Proposals or email EdResearchConference@aera.net. Please visit the AERA website for information about previous awards.