John B. King, Jr., incoming Secretary of Education, spoke at the December IES PI Meeting. Watch his inspirational talk here. Dr. Del Siegle and Dr. D. Betsy McCoach attended the meeting in Washington, DC.
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NCRGE Holds Third Advisory Board Meeting
NCRGE held its third advisory board meeting on November 5, 2015. The advisory board provided feedback on increasing survey responses, selecting schools for case study visits, and strategies to improve the case study visits. The meeting was held in the IES conference room in Washington, DC.
Front row: Yaacov Petscher, Frank Worrell, Sidney Moon, Julia Roberts, Jacquelin Medina, and Rachel Chung; Back row: Yvette Jackson, Del Siegle, D. Betsy McCoach, David Leal, Camilla Benbow, Lynn Vernon-Feagans, E. Jean Gubbins, Carolyn Callahan, and Rena Subotnik.
NCRGE Seeking Post Doc Research Scientist at UVA
The Department of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Education at the Curry School of Education is seeking highly qualified candidates to fill a Research Scientist position to oversee and participate in data collection and analysis for large scale educational research studies. The incumbent revises observation and interview protocol, interprets and compiles research findings for dissemination and publication, and provides supervision to graduate students carrying out data collection.
A Ph.D. in Education, Gifted Education, or a related field is required, as is at least three years of experience in data collection and analysis of education data. Experience with educational research project management and supervision of students is preferred. Strong qualitative skills and basic understanding of quantitative analysis are required. The ability to coordinate multiple simultaneous tasks of varying complexity, with demonstrated accountability and excellent attention to detail is also required. Knowledge of software tools for office productivity, presentations, and statistical analysis including SPSS, SAS, and NIVO.
To apply, visit http://jobs.virginia.edu and search on Posting Number 0616744. Complete a Candidate Profile online, attach a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references. Applicant screening begins July 27, 2015 and the position will remain open until filled.
For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Carolyn Callahan at cmc@Virginia.edu.
The Curry School of Education and the University of Virginia are Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employers. We seek to build a culturally diverse intellectual environment and welcome applications from women, minorities, veterans and persons with disabilities.
New Publication Comparing Educational Excellence
The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement announced the release of a new policy brief authored by Dr. Jonathan Plucker, a member of the NCRGE research team. The brief entitled, Advanced Academic Performance: Exploring Country-Level Differences in the Pursuit of Educational Excellence can be downloaded from http://www.iea.nl/policy_briefs.html. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) is an independent, international cooperative of national research institutions and governmental research agencies. It conducts large-scale comparative studies of educational achievement and other aspects of education, with the aim of gaining in-depth understanding of the effects of policies and practices within and across systems of education.
Research Suggests That School May Not Benefit High-Ability Students’ Reading Achievement
Does school matter? Most anyone’s response would be, unequivocally, yes.
And yet startling results from a recent research study suggest that, depending on the ability of the student, the answer may not be quite so clear-cut.
Researchers Betsy McCoach, professor in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut and director of research at NCRGE, and UConn Neag School alum Karen Rambo-Hernandez ’11 Ph.D., now assistant professor at West Virginia University, set out to examine the extent to which school impacts students’ levels of reading achievement over time.
With access to national data for a population of more than 170,000 students from 2,000 schools, McCoach and Rambo-Hernandez compared students whose reading test scores at the start of third grade ranked in the top 2 percent – a group designated as “initially high-achieving students” – with those students whose reading test scores at the start of third grade were among the average.
Read the full UConn story at http://education.uconn.edu/2015/08/27/research-suggests-that-school-may-not-benefit-high-ability-students-reading-achievement/
Rambo-Hernandez, K. E., & McCoach, D. B. (2015). High-achieving and average students’ reading growth: Contrasting school and summer trajectories. The Journal of Educational Research, 108, 112-129
PhD Level Research Associate Position at NCRGE
PhD level Research Associate Position at NCRGE in the Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut
The National Center for Research on Gifted Education (http://ncrge.uconn.edu ) is seeking a quantitative researcher for a PhD level Research Associate position. The person in this position will work with The National Center for Research on Gifted Education and will supervise, plan, design, manage, and implement research and data analysis of a highly complex nature. Research Associates should have a PhD in education, statistics, psychology, or related field. Candidates should have a high level of expertise in one or more of the following areas: quantitative research methods, multilevel modeling, and/or longitudinal analyses of student growth data. In addition, candidates should have strong data management skills and a high degree of proficiency with one or more statistical software packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, Stata, R). Candidates should also have experience preparing oral and written reports of research findings.
Minimum Qualifications
- PhD in education, statistics, psychology, or a related area • Extensive experience with data management and data analysis • High degree of proficiency with one or more statistical software packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, Stata, R) • High level of expertise in one or more of the following areas: quantitative research methods, multilevel modeling, and/or longitudinal analyses of student growth data • Strong written and verbal communications skills
Preferred Qualifications
- High level of expertise with multilevel modeling • Experience managing and conducting analyses using large scale databases • Extensive experience conducting secondary data analyses • High level of expertise with longitudinal analysis • Experience preparing written reports of research findings • Some training and background in qualitative research and/or program evaluation
Appointment Terms
This is a full-time, end-date, 12-month position with an anticipated start date of October 1, 2015. The position may be renewed yearly based on funding. The successful candidate’s appointment will be at the Storrs campus with the possibility of national travel. Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.
To Apply
To apply, complete an online application, attach a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and contact information for three references). For questions about the position, please contact Dr. Del Siegle at del.siegle@uconn.edu. Applications are due by September 1, 2015. To apply, please go to https://hcmprodweb.psoft.uconn.edu/psp/HRPRCGA/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_HM_PRE&Action=A&SiteId=1
Evaluation of applicants will begin immediately. For more information regarding the National Center for Research on Gifted Education, please visit the website at http://ncrge.uconn.edu/ . Employment of the successful candidate will be contingent upon the successful completion of a pre-employment criminal background check. (Search #2016040) This job posting is scheduled to be removed at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on September 1, 2015.
All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at http://www.ct.gov/ethics/site/default.asp .
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Job description and application can be found at https://hcmprodweb.psoft.uconn.edu/psp/HRPRCGA/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_CE.GBL?Page=HRS_CE_HM_PRE&Action=A&SiteId=1
Center Staff and Advisory Boards Meet at IES
NCRGE researchers met in Washington, DC at IES on June 16 and 17 with state directors, advisory board members, and IES and OELA staff related to the two research projects the Center is conducting.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, gifted education advocate, to retire
U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat from Maryland who announced Monday that she plans to retire in 2016 after 30 years in Congress, has been a dogged supporter of programs intended to identify and educate underrepresented populations in gifted education, advocates said.
Read the Education Week story by at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/speced/2015/03/gifted_education_advocates_pra_1.html