MCNC has three strategic partner:
- National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching (NCREST)
- Knowledge in the Public Interest
- Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC)
National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching
The National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching (NCREST) is a research and development organization at Teachers College, Columbia University. Founded in 1990 by Linda Darling-Hammond and Ann Lieberman, NCREST is currently co-directed by Jacqueline Ancess and Thomas Hatch. Since its inception NCREST has conducted research in critical areas of school reform such as assessment, accountability, standards, restructuring elementary, middle, and high schools, small schools, new-school creation, big school conversions, school leadership, professional development, teacher education, professional development schools, learner-centered classrooms and schools, multi-cultural education, equity, under-served and under-performing students, technology, state and local policy, and systemic reform.
NCREST has served as a strategic partner of the MCNC since 2003. The NCREST Early College Team’s commitment- and privilege- has been to support MCNC’s efforts to develop strong, effective Middle/Early College High Schools (MC-ECs) capable of providing students with the opportunity to graduate high school with one to two years of college credit earned. To this end, NCREST has:
- Reviewed and analyzed college transcript data of student enrollment and performance in college classes, and provided individual school level and MCNC aggregate reports.
- Conducted online surveys of graduating students to better understand their academic and social needs, perspectives, and progress toward college readiness.
- Analyzed the extent to which subgroups of students were well served by MC-ECs including by race/ethnicity, gender, and prior academic achievement (8th grade proficiency levels).
- Coordinated and reviewed National Student Clearinghouse data and provided information on the numbers of students progressing into and persisting in college after graduation from MC-ECs.
- Administered an annual online MCNC school survey and compiled a data report.
- Led workshops and conference sessions in which participants learned to understand, use (and come to love) key data points, focusing on ways to improve student experiences and outcomes.
- Conducted numerous short term research and development projects including: the Math/Data Use Project, support for the Transitions Project, analysis of seminar, analysis of the CFR process, and others.
- Wrote briefs, reports, lit reviews, and created related templates.
For more information about NCREST, please visit www.tc.columbia.edu/ncrest
Knowledge in the Public Interest
Knowledge in the Public Interest brings social media to the work of educational organizations. KPI is dedicated to shaping and guiding the incorporation of technology so that working teams increase their impact. KPI has worked in partnership with MCNC since 2003. Together KPI and MCNC have created an online professional development model (ePD), online communities of practice for faculty and counselors, and the online student work of the Student Leadership Initiative.
For more information about Knowledge in the Public Interest, please visit kpublic.com
Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC)
The Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) was founded by Dr. David Conley in 2002. EPIC works with federal agencies, state education departments, non-governmental organizations, private foundations, and school districts to support research on a range of current policy issues, most prominent among them is high school-college alignment. MCNC has undertaken a partnership with EPIC to pilot the College-readiness Performance Assessment (C-PAS) tool, which is designed to track students’ development of the Key Cognitive Skills (Problem Formulation, Research, Interpretation, Communication, and Precision/Accuracy) which are necessary for college readiness and success. MCNC Innovation Lab schools will be piloting the C-PAS system in mathematics, English, and science.
For more information on EPIC, please visit www.epiconline.org
