Education Research and Policy

We can't rely on personal anecdotes, collections of case studies, and surveys to have a true understanding of the educational environment. We look for research studies that feature very rigorous designs and put innovative ideas to the test. Our work in the Kansas City area allows us to form an educational research consortium to build the infrastructure we need to collect data and ultimately get better answers to some of the perennial questions about effective teaching and learning in the phenomenon we study.

Initiatives

Featured Resources

  • Working with partners at Public Impact, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools conducted this study to explore the charter school movement in Missouri, after 10 years of charter school operation. The researchers studied data to understand the current status of Missouri charter schools, and the factors that shaped charter school policy in the state.

  • The primary obstacle to improving teacher quality in the Kansas City, Missouri School District is a deeply entrenched culture of low expectations and indifference that pervades the district, according to a report released by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ).

  • Putting Performance on the Map: Locating Quality Schools in the Kansas City, Missouri School District, which was funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, is a study analyzing performance, location, and enrollment at Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) and charter schools during the 2008-2009 school year. The report also analyzes the District's "Transforming the KCMSD" plan as it impacts the data collected by IFF in the preparation of the report.