Notes from the Evidence Project: Announcing our Research Grantees
CRPE and the Walton Family Foundation are supporting $2.6M in pandemic recovery research.
Over the past four years, CRPE’s Evidence Project has tracked the pandemic’s impact on students and school system recovery efforts. These collective efforts are far from complete—and face persistent challenges. In August 2024, with generous support from the Walton Family Foundation, CRPE made a public call for proposals to help accelerate the work of pandemic recovery. CRPE sought research proposals that would explore questions such as:
What are promising or effective new recovery interventions—especially those designed to reach the students most harmed by the pandemic?
What challenges are districts currently facing when implementing such interventions?
What causes continue to drive persistently high rates of chronic absenteeism?
Do current interventions adequately address these causes?
After a rigorous selection process, CRPE is thrilled to announce our seven grant recipients. These projects will receive up to $500,000 to cover up to 18 months of study. Learn more about each project below.
Post-Pandemic Recovery and Renewal: A Deep Exploration of Chronic Absenteeism—Causes, Consequences, and Potential Solutions
PI: Amie Rapaport, University of Southern California
This study investigates the root causes of chronic absenteeism and identifies characteristics of effective mitigating interventions. Using the nationally representative Understanding America Study panel, researchers will examine the most common reasons for absenteeism, how families perceive attendance interventions, and which interventions can influence parents and students to increase attendance. Researchers will also conduct two survey experiments that test messaging about attendance and its impact.
Examining the Role of Student Wellbeing and Reverse Engineering Success in Chronic Absenteeism in Districts and Schools in Georgia
PI: Jerome Graham, Michigan State University
This study examines the relationship between student well-being and chronic absenteeism through an explanatory sequential, mixed-methods approach. Researchers will analyze attendance trends before and after the pandemic, identify districts successfully mitigating absenteeism, and investigate state efforts to address challenges related to absenteeism. Additionally, researchers will investigate the extent to which state/district solutions align with best practices for promoting attendance.
Pandemic Learning Recovery Strategies: Evidence from Massachusetts Charter Schools
PI: Eryn Heying, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This study investigates the causal effects of Massachusetts charter schools on recovery from pandemic learning loss and identifies the practices that accelerate student learning. Using charter admissions lottery data, state administrative data, and a novel survey of Massachusetts charter school administrators about their practices since the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers will assess student outcomes and their relationship with learning recovery interventions, such as high-dosage tutoring and extended learning time. Researchers will also highlight the most effective interventions for all students, as well as low-income students and racial minorities.
Wrong Target or Faulty Execution: Exploring Misalignments in Absenteeism Interventions Post-Pandemic in a Large Urban District
Co-PIs: David Diehl, Kayla Fike, and Joanne Golann, Vanderbilt University
This study examines the effectiveness of a large urban school district’s progressive attendance strategy, focusing on how well it addresses the root causes of absenteeism and how it is implemented across schools. Researchers will conduct case studies of three high schools, complemented with interviews and focus groups, and quantitative analysis of district-wide attendance and student data. By addressing formulation and implementation across levels, researchers will provide actionable insights to improve attendance interventions and contribute to broader efforts to promote educational equity in diverse urban school settings.
A Research-Practice-Partnership to Examine Learning Recovery Interventions in California
PI: Niu Gao, American Institutes for Research
This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach to examine district recovery programs in California and their associations with student academic outcomes and social and emotional well-being. Through nine case studies, researchers will explore the types of learning recovery interventions that districts use to accelerate student learning, the relationship between learning recovery interventions and student outcomes, and how the interventions are implemented within districts.
Navigating the ESSER Cliff: District Strategies and Impacts on Tutoring Programs
PI: Susanna Loeb, Stanford University
This study examines the future of the High Impact Tutoring landscape in public schools following the end of ESSER funding. Using surveys, qualitative interviews, and case study methods, researchers seek to understand how the end of ESSER funding will affect the tutoring market in terms of size, quality, and character. This study will build a broader narrative about how large post-crisis cash infusions can be used to fortify and shift existing systems and examine broader enabling conditions for high-potential learning interventions to scale.
Understanding Changes in Student Absences, Causes of Absences, and Potential Solutions Following the COVID-19 Pandemic
PI: Sarah Crittenden Fuller, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
This study examines the causes and impacts of increased student absenteeism in North Carolina, how schools and districts address absenteeism, and how these approaches correspond with the underlying reasons for absences. Researchers will use statewide administrative data to analyze changes in absences and their effects on students, teachers, and schools, conduct case studies in six schools to gather educator, parent, and student perspectives, and administer a statewide survey to gather broader evidence on reasons for absences and school interventions.
CRPE extends our heartfelt congratulations to our seven grantees, as well as sincere thanks to all who submitted letters of intent and proposals. The Evidence Project team, led by Dr. Morgan Polikoff (USC) and Dr. Lydia Rainey (CRPE), will support grantees to produce actionable insights for the field. CRPE will continue to share updates on the work of this grantee cohort here in our Notes from the Evidence Project newsletter. Stay tuned!