Professional Development and Training
Courses for 2016 Annual Meeting
Courses Start April 7, 2016

The AERA Professional Development and Training Committee is pleased to offer a robust program of courses for the 2016 AERA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. The program was crafted based on consideration of more than 50 submissions and a competitive peer review process. Courses are designed at various levels (e.g., basic, intermediate, advanced) to reach graduate students, early career scholars, and other researchers who seek to increase their knowledge and enhance research skills.

Jump to the course list

Course Dates: 

• The extended courses are held on Thursday, April 7, one day prior to the Annual Meeting or on Friday, April 8.
• The mini-courses will occur Saturday through Monday, April 9–11.

Registration: 

• Potential participants can register for Professional Development and Training Courses by logging into and updating their 2016 AERA Annual Meeting registration.
• You must be registered for the Annual Meeting in order to purchase tickets to attend courses.

Materials: 

• Course participants should bring a laptop with any software suggested or specified in the course description.

Questions: 

• Direct questions about the professional development and training courses to profdevel@aera.net.

Click a course number to learn more.

Extended Courses PDC01: Community Learning Exchange: Using Transformative Pedagogies for Research and Practice PDC02: Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis PDC03: Advanced Meta-Analysis PDC04: An Introduction to Hierarchical Linear Modeling for Education Researchers PDC05: Autoethnography: Product, Process, and Possibility for Public Scholarship to Educate Diverse Democracies PDC06: Centering Race and Racism Through Action Inquiry in Graduate Education PDC07: Data From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K: 2011) PDC08: Designing Surveys for Education Research PDC09: Graphic Communication in Research PDC10: Using Critical Race Theory in Secondary and Higher Education Research PDC11: Use of Research and Tools from Implementation Science to Design More Useful Evaluations of Education Initiatives PDC12: How to Get Published PDC13: Blogging Education Policy With School Finance 101 and Jersey Jazzman PDC14: Analyzing NAEP Assessment Data Using R

Mini Courses PDC15: Advanced Analysis Using School-Based International Large-Scale Assessment Databases (TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA) PDC16: Crafting the Story: An Introduction to Writing With Qualitative Data PDC17: Increasing Involvement of Diverse, Vulnerable, and Hard-to-Reach Populations PDC18: A Didactic Introduction to Latent Variable Modeling in R PDC19: Ethical Issues in Collaborative Research PDC20: Public Science: An Introduction to Critical Participatory Action Research PDC21: Studying Higher Education Access and Attainment Worldwide – Organized by the World Education Research Association (WERA) PDC22: Analyzing the Civil Rights Data Collection for Education Policy Research PDC23: Propensity Score Methods for Causal Inference in Education Research PDC24: Comparative Case Studies and Ethnographies – Organized by the World Education Research Association (WERA) PDC25: Building Public Scholarship: Imagining and Designing a Translating Research Training Seminar for Students and Faculty PDC26: Building Researchers’ Capacity to Partner With Practitioners to Conduct Relevant and Useful Research PDC27: Hierarchical Linear Modeling with Large-Scale International Databases PDC28: Writing an Application for an IES Grant PDC29: Accessing, Exploring, and Using the National Center for Education Statistics Data Tools and Data Collections PDC30: Developing a Competitive Educational Research Proposal for the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Research on Learning PDC31: Research on Immigrant Families and Education Worldwide – Organized by the World Education Research Association (WERA)

---

Extended Courses
PDC01: Community Learning Exchange: Using Transformative Pedagogies for Research and Practice
This two-day course is specifically designed as a Community Learning Exchange (CLE) that focuses on a deeper understanding of how to engage community members as key partners in research and practice. The session expands our conceptions of community scholars and activist scholarship. A CLE is a process that honors the power of place and context while acknowledging and lifting the wisdom of people. The learning experience is designed to be experiential and interactive by using the processes from Community Learning Exchange (CLE) pedagogies. We will fully engage participants and community partners as co-researchers for the two-day session by modeling and enacting co-research as an epistemological stance and a democratic methodology. Participants will learn specific CLE strategies (pedagogies) and processes for activist scholarship by engaging on Day 1 with each other and by participating in a co-learning/collaborative research opportunity with a community organization in Washington, DC, on Day 2.	Instructors: Lynda Tredway, Institute for Educational Leadership; Matthew C. Militello, East Carolina University; Miguel Angel Guajardo, Texas State University–San Marcos; Francisco Guajardo, The University of Texas–Pan American; Christopher A. Janson, University of North Florida; Gretchen Givens Generett, Duquesne University Date: Thursday, April 7, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm (Day 1); Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm (Day 2) Fee: $140 Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 146 A
PDC02: Introduction to Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
This course will introduce the basics of systematic review and meta-analysis. Topics covered include the development of a research question, searching the literature, evaluating and coding studies, meta-analysis techniques, and interpretation of results for policy makers and researchers. Participants are encouraged to bring an idea for a systematic review to the course, with time reserved for discussion about it with course instructors. Course activities will include lecture, hands-on exercises, and individual consultation. The target audience includes those new to systematic review and meta-analysis as well as those currently conducting a review. Knowledge of basic descriptive statistics is assumed. Participants are required to bring a laptop computer.	Instructors: Joshua R. Polanin, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College; Therese D. Pigott, Loyola University Chicago; Noel A. Card, University of Connecticut; Amy L. Dent, University of Nebraska–Lincoln; Joseph Taylor, Abt Associates, Inc. Date: Thursday, April 7, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 B
	Back to course list
PDC03: Advanced Meta-Analysis
This course will introduce advanced methods in meta-analysis. Topics covered include the computation of effect sizes from complex research designs; the use of fixed versus random effects models; planning before conducting a meta-analysis; methods for exploring heterogeneity of effect sizes, including categorical models and meta-regression; and graphical methods for the display of meta-analytic results and for testing the sensitivity of results to publication bias. The statistical package R will be used to conduct the statistical techniques discussed. Participants are encouraged to bring their own research in progress to the course. The activities will include lecture, hands-on exercises, and individual consultation. The target audience is researchers with systematic review and meta-analysis experience who need more in-depth knowledge of how to conduct and interpret models of effect size. Knowledge of basic descriptive statistics is assumed. Students are required to bring a laptop computer.	Instructors: Therese D. Pigott, Loyola University Chicago; Ariel M. Aloe, University of Iowa; Joshua R. Polanin, Vanderbilt University, Peabody College; Ryan Williams, American Institutes for Research Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 B
PDC04: An Introduction to Hierarchical Linear Modeling for Education Researchers
This course will introduce the fundamentals of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), focusing on fundamental concepts and practical applications with very minimal emphasis on statistical theory. In addition to presenting a conceptual overview of HLM, the instructors will utilize a school-based example to demonstrate the application of HLM within an organizational framework. Participants will learn how to analyze 2-level data using HLM 7, and they will learn to interpret the results of the analyses. Instruction will consist of lecture, demonstrations of the software, and hands-on data analysis opportunities. Students should bring a laptop equipped with the free student version of HLMv7 (from www.ssicentral.com) and SPSS or another data manipulation software. The course example data will run on the student version of HLM. (Please note that there is no MAC version of the HLM software program.) Click here to add this live-streaming course through the AERA-VRLC.	Instructors: D. Betsy McCoach, University of Connecticut; Ann A. O’ Connell, The Ohio State University Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 A
	Back to course list
PDC05: Autoethnography: Product, Process, and Possibility for Public Scholarship to Educate Diverse Democracies
The purpose of the course is to provide information to participants, graduate students, and prospective and novice university professors on how to apply autoethnography as public scholarship to educate diverse democracies (i.e., to address diversity in culture, politics, race, class, gender, and religion). This session will target qualitative and mixed-methods researchers who seek a methodological alternative from neutral, anonymous, and objectivist orientations to educational policy and practice. Information will be provided related to applied autoethnography as a process involving six key decisions; epistemologies of practice/critical reflexive action research; integrating autoethnography into research and teaching; and publishing defensible autoethnography findings in reputable journals. Participants will learn how to add autoethnography as an alternative tool in their methodological toolkits for translating their own autoethnographic work into public scholarship.	Instructors: Sherick A. Hughes, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill; Julie L. Pennington, University of Nevada - Reno; Nitasha M. Clark, Educational Specialties Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 145 B
PDC06: Centering Race and Racism Through Action Inquiry in Graduate Education
This course is designed as an interactive experience to assist experienced and new graduate-level instructors who are interested in actively addressing racism through their curriculum and teaching by integrating research-based tools and pedagogical strategies. Through presentations, hands-on demonstrations with worked tools and examples from the instructors’ research and teaching, and group activities, participants will (a) apply culturally relevant and critical race pedagogy to curriculum development, (b) consider ways of constructing assignments to foster reflection about and inquiry related to race and racism, (c) describe the epistemological traditions and methodological characteristics of action inquiry, (d) identify pedagogical approaches to teaching graduate students how to design anti-racist research projects that utilize critical theories and prioritize social change, and (e) understand equity and equity-mindedness as meaningful educational outcomes. Participants will complete a two-part activity using the Center for Urban Education’s inquiry protocol titled “Document Analysis for Equity-Minded and Culturally Inclusive Practices.” Participants will first apply the protocol to a syllabus provided by the course instructors and then apply it to their own course syllabi. Participants will be asked to complete pre-course readings, email their selected course syllabi in advance of the course, bring two hard copies of their syllabi with them, and bring a laptop or mobile device to work on revisions of their syllabi. Participants should have taught at least one graduate-level college course as the primary instructor or as a teaching assistant. No experience with action research is required.	Instructors: Milagros Castillo-Montoya, University of Connecticut; Estela M. Bensimon, University of Southern California; Erin L. Castro, University of Utah; Alicia C. Dowd, University of Southern California Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 150 A
	Back to course list
PDC07: Data From the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K: 2011)
This course provides researchers with information about the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K: 2011). Data from the ECLS-K:2011 allow researchers to examine the relationships between a wide range of family, school, classroom, and individual characteristics and children’ s development, learning, and school performance in kindergarten and across the elementary school years. In this training, participants will become familiar with the design, content, and research utility of the ECLS-K: 2011; learn how to use the Electronic Codebook (ECB) software to create individualized datasets for personal research; understand the need for using sample weights and adjusting variance estimates to conduct accurate analyses; and become familiar with resources available from the National Center for Educational Statistics related to the ECLS-K: 2011. The training will focus on the publicly released data from the kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade collections. Participants will also be given an opportunity to ask questions about how the ECLS data can best be used to address their own research interests. Though this course is primarily lecture-based, there will be time for participants to practice navigating the ECB software and work through hands-on exercises. Therefore, it is recommended that each participant bring a laptop computer to the course. There are no prerequisite skills or knowledge needed for this session; the course is appropriate for researchers of all levels.	Instructors: Shannon Russell, American Institutes for Research; Gail M. Mulligan, NCES, U.S. Department of Education; Jill McCarroll, U.S. Department of Education; Kristin Flanagan, American Institutes for Research; Daniel Potter, American Institutes for Research Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 144 B
PDC08: Designing Surveys for Education Research
Surveys are a common tool for collecting data in education research. Surveys of students, parents, teachers, school administrators, district leaders, and others provide much of the data used to assess needs, investigate relationships, and evaluate programs and interventions. Survey data contribute to education theory development, support policy decisions, and help inform problems of practice in all areas of education research. The field of survey research offers evidence-based methods for designing and administering effective surveys. This course draws from well-known texts and literature from the field of survey methodology and offers an overview of survey development techniques, best practices, and resources that will be useful to education agency staff. The course is designed for State Education Agency and Local Education Agency staff but is also appropriate for other practitioners and researchers who want to advance their understanding and ability to create high-quality surveys. The course covers the basics of planning for a survey project, exploring existing item sources, writing high-quality survey items, and pretesting items, as well as sampling considerations, data collection methods, and strategies for maximizing response rates. The course includes engaging presentations, small group activities to practice skills, a binder with useful resource materials, and time for discussion and interaction with the presenters.	Instructors: Jill T. Walston, American Institutes for Research; Leslie A. Scott, American Institutes for Research; Jeremy Redford, American Institutes for Research; Monica Bhatt, University of Michigan Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $95  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 B
	Back to course list
PDC09: Graphic Communication in Research
Graphical displays of data have long been recommended for conveying key messages and information in studies across the quantitative social sciences. The objective of this course is to teach both conceptual graphic principles and practical skills for data visualization. It consists of lectures, pair and group discussions, and hands-on practice of graphic principles and data visualization programming skills. Participants will learn basic principles for making impactful graphics; learn how to distinguish junk graphics from good ones; and create basic graphics and web-based interactive graphics during the course. This course is designed for researchers and graduate students who are interested in using graphics to present quantitative data. The R language will be used for hands-on exercises, so basic familiarity with R is preferred. Participants are required to bring their own laptop to the workshop and download R and RStudio in advance.	Instructors: Yan Liu, Harvard University; Alexander Volfovsky, Harvard University; Howard Wainer, National Board of Medical Examiners Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 147 A
PDC10: Using Critical Race Theory in Secondary and Higher Education Research
This course will provide graduate students and early career and experienced scholars with information and skills to use critical race theory (CRT) in education research. This course is designed to be interactive and will consist of activities, group dialogue, video, and independent exercises to facilitate one’s understanding of the course content. In Part 1, participants will be trained on the origins of CRT and its tenets, concepts, and key scholars. In Part 2, instructors will illustrate how CRT can be used in framing education research. Three illustrative cases of how researchers have previously used CRT to study educational issues across the pipeline will be highlighted for participants. In Part 3, we will review pressing educational issues, discussing how CRT might be employed as an organizing framework or analytic tool. Using public data from the Education Longitudinal Study, instructors will lead participants through a detailed activity illustrating the utility of CRT in interpreting ordinary quantitative findings about race; that is, how to complicate and contextualize findings using tenets of CRT. Finally, Part 4 will consist of two foci: (a) a review of the main “take-aways” from the course; and (b) an open house exercise where participants will apply specific research questions about the integration of CRT in their own work. Participants will benefit from having a basic understanding of theory, educational research methods, and an interest in race and student success. No prerequisite skills or knowledge are required for participation in this course.	Instructors: Royel M. Johnson, The Ohio State University–Columbus; Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, The Ohio State University Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 150 B
	Back to course list
PDC11: Use of Research and Tools from Implementation Science to Design More Useful Evaluations of Education Initiatives
This course focuses on applying recent research findings and tools from the field of implementation science. Organized by AERA’ s Division H (Research, Evaluation, and Assessment in Schools), the course will focus on increasing education researchers’ knowledge of approaches to analyzing and evaluating the implementation of education improvement initiatives, and on using implementation science tools to increase application of research findings in improving education initiatives in schools.	Instructors: Rolf K. Blank, University of Chicago; Dean Fixsen, University of North Carolina– Chapel Hill; Caryn Sabourin Ward, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 147 B
PDC12: How to Get Published
This course will provide graduate students and early career faculty with critical information about how to publish in academic journals. Scholars will present in-depth sessions that cover the entire publishing process—from conceptualizing studies to preparing well-crafted manuscripts targeted to relevant journals. Scholars will address the following topics: institutional and career fit; how to be a productive writer; finding equilibrium in academia; contemporary publishing topics and how to select appropriate journals; quality quantitative research; quality qualitative research; and ethical issues in publishing. Question and answer sessions will follow each presentation to allow for participant engagement. Participants will be provided with materials including handouts and work samples that elaborate on the important points shared during the session.	Instructors: Patricia A. Alexander, University of Maryland–College Park; Lauren M. Singer, University of Maryland–College Park; DeLeon Lavron Gray, North Carolina State University; Matthew T. McCrudden, Victoria University of Wellington; Panayiota Kendeou, University of Minnesota; Gregory R. Hancock, University of Maryland; Diane L. Schallert, The University of Texas–Austin; Jeffrey A. Greene, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill; Tamara van Gog, Utrecht University Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 146 B
Back to course list
PDC13: Blogging Education Policy With School Finance 101 and Jersey Jazzman
This course will introduce faculty, graduate students, and all interested participants to the world of education policy blogging, with particular emphasis on data-rich blogging. This session will be a full day session, split into two parts. During the morning session, the instructors will provide an overview of what they have learned about blogging in the education policy arena over the past 5 (or so) years, and provide guidance on (a) different approaches to policy blogging, (b) access to and use of data in policy blogging, and (c) publicizing policy blogs. The afternoon session will be dedicated to preparation, publication, and promotion of participant blog posts.	Instructors: Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University; Mark Weber, Warren Township Schools, Warren, NJ Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 A
PDC14: Analyzing NAEP Assessment Data Using R
The purpose of the course is to introduce participants to the current functionality of “edsurvey,” an R package tailored for the analysis of large-scale assessment data, and to teach them how to analyze National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), or NAEP-like, data with appropriate procedures using the R package (which can be downloaded for free)’ . The course will start out familiarizing participants with the psychometric and sampling design of NAEP, which is essential to understanding and analyzing NAEP data. Afterward, the course will focus on providing hands-on practice using the R package “edsurvey.” Participants are required to be familiar with the R software.”	Instructors: Emmanuel Sikali, U.S. Department of Education; Paul Bailey, American Institutes for Research; Young Yee Kim, American Institutes for Research; Ting Zhang, American Institutes for Research Date: Friday, April 8, 8:00 am – 3:45 pm Fee: $125  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 144 C
	Back to course list
Mini Courses
PDC15: Advanced Analysis Using School-Based International Large-Scale Assessment Databases (TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA)
This course covers how to download and prepare the public-use data files from TIMSS, PIRLS, and PISA and how to conduct basic and advanced statistical analysis. It will cover the statistical complexities and techniques used in these studies and their implications for analysis. It involves a combination of lectures and hands-on exercises. Participants will learn to prepare data files for advanced statistical analysis and conduct basic and some advanced analysis using customized software provided during the course. Participants need to have with them a laptop computer with Windows and SPSS or SAS installed, and must have knowledge of basic and intermediate statistics. Data files and demonstration software will be distributed during the course.	Instructors: Eugenio Gonzalez, ETS; Plamen Vladkov Mirazchiyski, IEA Data Processing and Research Center Date: Saturday, April 9, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $95  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 B
PDC16: Crafting the Story: An Introduction to Writing With Qualitative Data
In this course, participants will examine and use narrative devices inherent to the writing of qualitative research. This interactive session will be conducted in the format of a writing course. Participants will engage with transcripts from an extant research study and cast analyzed data into different report styles, using rhetorical structures common to the different styles associated with the various qualitative research designs. The goal of this course is to conceptualize writing with qualitative data as storytelling. By the end of the course, participants will be able to 1) discuss common report styles and structures in qualitative research, 2) explain the role of writer perspective and intentionality in writing, 3) describe the influence of a writer’s relationship to the intended audience, 4) define the key elements of storytelling and their relationship to qualitative research, and 5) demonstrate how these elements can be used in their own research. The course is designed for advanced graduate students and early career scholars interested in qualitative research. Participants should have a working knowledge of qualitative research, have completed at least an introductory course in the field, and have experience reading, coding, and writing from transcripts. They will be tasked with a short writing assignment before the course. Participants should bring laptops and be prepared to write and share what they have written with other participants. Click here to add this live-streaming course through the AERA-VRLC.	Instructors: Karri A. Holley, The University of Alabama; Michael S. Harris, Southern Methodist University Date: Saturday, April 9, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 A
	Back to course list
PDC17: Increasing Involvement of Diverse, Vulnerable, and Hard-to-Reach Populations
Constructing scientifically sound samples of hard-to-reach populations is a challenge for many research projects. Many populations are hard to reach with standard instruments and designs, and therefore make this task difficult. Designing studies to include all people, especially diverse, vulnerable, and hard-to-reach populations, is important to ensure valid results. Universal Design is essential to ensure that these populations are fairly represented and included in the study process. This course will introduce the principles of Universal Design, the Universal Design for Evaluation checklist, trauma-informed practices, and their applications to research and evaluation. Participants will gain knowledge and skills to increase involvement of diverse, vulnerable, and hard-to-reach populations and be given knowledge and tools to improve the design of their own research or evaluation studies.	Instructors: June Watters Gothberg, Western Michigan University; Linda P. Thurston, Kansas State University Date: Saturday, April 9, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 A
PDC18: A Didactic Introduction to Latent Variable Modeling in R
Latent variable modeling for the social and behavioral sciences has been expanding quickly to address diverse research questions about the growth of student skills, outcome differences in randomized control trials, and building better assessments. This course will introduce participants to latent variable modeling, the use of R for analyses, and models commonly used to explore education research–related questions. The main objective of the course is for participants to gain a working knowledge of several analyses using latent variable models, including factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory), structural equation models, item response theory models, and latent growth and profile models. Instruction will be didactic, using a combination of lecture and hands-on examples to encourage understanding of the material and to prepare the learner to continue acquiring technical skills with R. Real data examples will be used to assist understanding. The target audience is graduate students or researchers new to R and/or to latent variable modeling. The prerequisite knowledge is a foundational understanding of multiple regression techniques. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop as data sets and codes will be provided.	Instructors: Brian F. French, Washington State University; William Holmes Finch, Ball State University Date: Saturday, April 9, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Fee: $95  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 A
	Back to course list
PDC19: Ethical Issues in Collaborative Research
This discussion and case-based course explores ethical dilemmas in collaborative and action forms of research. Issues include power dynamics (e.g., race, class, gender, language, institutional); relational vs. transactional approaches to consent; epistemic injustice and whose knowledge counts; data gathering, interpretation, and dissemination; advocacy, neutrality, and (dis)interested research; and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs). Readings and/or handouts feature, original cases developed by instructors through interview data collected from engaged scholars and school and community partners; professional associations’ ethical frameworks; and publications about collaborative community-based research. Small group discussions, role-play activities, and quick-writings will facilitate participants’ ethical reflection. The course aims to prompt ethical engagement with social science research methodologies and to foster a network of researchers for ongoing support.	Instructors: Ronald David Glass, University of California–Santa Cruz; Anne Rebecca Newman, University of California–Santa Cruz; Natalie J. K. Baloy, University of California–Santa Cruz; Sheeva Sabati, University of California–Santa Cruz Date: Saturday, April 9, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Fee: $55 Location: Convention Center, Level One Room 150 A
PDC20: Public Science: An Introduction to Critical Participatory Action Research
There has been a rise in university community research collaborations and an interest in shifting these away from using service frameworks toward using those of solidarity. Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach to research that positions those most impacted by research as leaders in shaping research questions, framing interpretations, and designing meaningful research products and actions. Via interactive lecture, PAR project stories, and small-group activities, this course will introduce participants to the history and current practice of PAR with projects that rely on community-generated surveys, focus groups, mapping, interviews, and secondary analysis of quantitative data. Participants will come away from the course with a basic understanding of the praxis of PAR, a sense of ethics and dilemmas, a taste of applying concepts discussed to their own work, and new connections with allied scholars in the field. Participants will be provided with a short reading list prior to the course; there are no prerequisite skills or knowledge necessary for participation in this course.	Instructors: Anne M. Galletta, Cleveland State University; Maria Elena Torre, City College of New York - CUNY; Michelle Fine, City University of New York; Maddy Fox, Brooklyn College - CUNY; Monique Antoinette Guishard, Bronx Community College - CUNY; Carmine Stewart, Cleveland State University Date: Saturday, April 9, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 150 B
	Back to course list
PDC21: Studying Higher Education Access and Attainment Worldwide – Organized by the World Education Research Association (WERA)
Nations across the world are seeking to expand higher education access and attainment in order to compete internationally in today’s global, technologically-driven economy. Although the configuration and governance of higher education systems varies dramatically across and within nations, policymakers and educational leaders are facing a similar set of questions about this expansion. Such questions include: Who gets access to what types of postsecondary education opportunities? What are the ideal roles of different providers of higher education? What are the implications for students and society of different approaches to financing the costs of higher education? What policies and practices effectively increase overall attainment and reduce gaps across groups in higher education outcomes? This course is designed to promote comparative and international research on higher education access and attainment and create a network of higher education researchers with shared interests who are located in different nations. The course will include presentations by course instructors, discussion, and small group work. Participants will consider: fruitful research questions; exemplars of and guidelines for high-quality research, effective approaches for incorporating relevant contextual characteristics, promising theoretical perspectives and frameworks, and productive methodological approaches and sources of data. Prior to the course, participants will submit: 1) an overview of a current or recent research project that examines some aspect of higher education access and attainment (one page); and 2) a statement of learning goals and expectations for the course (one paragraph).	Instructors: Laura W. Perna, University of Pennsylvania; Gerard Postiglione, The University of Hong Kong; Agnes van Zanten; Sciences Po Date: Saturday, April 9, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 B
PDC22: Analyzing the Civil Rights Data Collection for Education Policy Research
This course will provide graduate students, researchers, and practitioners with information on how to access and analyze the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a large-scale data set managed by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the U.S. Department of Education. The CRDC is a universe collection of school districts on key education and civil rights issues in our nation’ s public schools. The data collected include student enrollment, educational programs and services, school discipline, and indicators of college and career readiness. Most data are disaggregated by race/ethnicity, sex, limited English proficiency, and disability. The course will include informational presentations, extensive demonstrations, several hands-on exercises, and group work discussions. Topics covered are: 1) an overview of the CRDC survey design; 2) demonstration of online data tools for accessing and analyzing CRDC data; and 3) sharing tricks and techniques for analyzing large-scale data sets. Participants will learn to 1) analyze CRDC data using online tools, 2) conduct statistical tests, 3) create data tables and graphs, and 4) understand how to obtain a restricted-use data license. Participants should have a general knowledge of research methods and statistics. Participants must bring their own laptop. Click here to add this live-streaming course through the AERA-VRLC.	Instructors: Janis D. Brown, U.S. Department of Education Date: Sunday, April 10, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $95  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 A
	Back to course list
PDC23: Propensity Score Methods for Causal Inference in Education Research
Through lectures and hands-on activities, this course will introduce basic concepts of propensity score methods, including matching, subclassification, and weighting, as well as the use of software packages such as R. Packages of propensity score methods in SAS, Stata, and SPSS will also be briefly introduced. This course is appropriate for faculty members, graduate students, and applied researchers. Participants will learn why and when we need propensity score methods for making causal inference in educational research and how to perform propensity score methods in R—as well as in SAS, Stata, and SPSS—using samples of a large-scale data set from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002. Instructions for downloading and installing R software and related packages, as well as example datasets, will be provided to participants in advance through a course website. No prior knowledge of propensity score methods or causal inference is needed. However, a basic understanding of research designs, t-tests, and logistic regression is preferable. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptop computers for hands-on activities.	Instructors: Wei Pan, Duke University; Haiyan Bai, University of Central Florida; Christopher M. Swoboda, University of Cincinnati Date: Sunday, April 10, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $95  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 B
PDC24: Comparative Case Studies and Ethnographies – Organized by the World Education Research Association (WERA)
In this course, we explore how individual scholars can build comparative perspectives into their qualitative research. We use mini-lectures and hands-on exercises to review the overlapping meanings of “case studies” and “ethnography”; discuss two philosophical perspectives on comparisons of qualitative research, one seeking broad generalizations (“universalist”) and one seeking context-bound deeper understanding (“meta-ethnography”); consider small-scale, step-by-step approaches to cross-national comparative work that participants might engage in themselves by comparing their own work with published case studies and by carrying out new research parallel to a colleague’ s study; and explore what is learned by comparing “favorite theorists” across countries. Participants should bring a one- to two-page summary of one of their own qualitative studies, including key references.	Instructors: Kathryn M. Anderson-Levitt, University of California–Los Angeles; Belmira Oliveira Bueno, Universidade de São Paulo Date: Sunday, April 10, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 A
	Back to course list
PDC25: Building Public Scholarship: Imagining and Designing a Translating Research Training Seminar for Students and Faculty
The goal of this course is to guide participants through the process of designing and creating a course in translating research. Designed for faculty, administrators, and advanced graduate students, this course will provide the groundwork for participants to learn and implement best practices for establishing and facilitating a course to communicate research or complex science to nonspecialized audiences such as policy makers, stakeholders, educational audiences, or the general public through a variety of means, including social media. Participants will learn why and how to establish a seminar that teaches their own participants how to communicate their complex research in manageable language to audiences and communities that need the information. Participants will learn how to teach people to summarize their research, how to teach people to write policy briefs, and how to develop a plan for conducting outreach in specific communities. Methods of this course include brief lecture, discussion, hands-on exercises, and small group collaboration. Successful examples of activities and assignments will be provided, and participants will design and draft their own assignments, tailored to their own needs. Participants will begin planning and drafting their own seminar during this session and will collaborate in small groups in order to maximize this networking opportunity.	Instructors: Kandace M. Knudson, University of California–Davis Date: Sunday, April 10, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 B
PDC26: Building Researchers’ Capacity to Partner With Practitioners to Conduct Relevant and Useful Research
The learning objectives for early career scholars and advanced researchers participating in this course are to develop a deeper understanding of the various types of research-practice partnerships’ features, developmental stages, and indicators of success; gain insights into the types of roles individuals play in a partnership and the process for developing a partnership; construct a theory of action for a research-practice partnership; describe the steps needed to negotiate a research agenda; and explain processes and strategies used to establish and maintain a research-practice partnership’ s momentum. The instructors will use a combination of brief presentations and hands-on exercises to build the participants’ capacity to partner with practitioners to conduct relevant research. Hard copies of all of the materials needed for the course will be provided by the instructors with the exception of the pre-course required reading materials.	Instructors: Carrie Lynne Scholz, American Institutes for Research; Julie R. Kochanek, American Institutes for Research; Shazia R. Miller, American Institutes for Research Date: Monday, April 11, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 B
	Back to course list
PDC27: Hierarchical Linear Modeling with Large-Scale International Databases
Data from large-scale international studies reflects the nested structure of education systems and is, therefore, very well suited for hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). However, because this data comes from complex cluster samples, there are methodological aspects that a researcher needs to understand when doing HLM, e.g., the need for using sampling weights and multiple achievement values for parameter estimation. This course will teach participants how to do HLM with data from these studies, including PIRLS, TIMSS, and PISA. The content of the course will include a presentation on the design of large-scale international studies and databases, and implications for HLM analysis. Participants will learn how to specify simple two- and three-level models using the HLM 7 software package, incorporating students, classes or schools, and countries as hierarchical levels. There will be hands-on demonstrations on how to prepare an international dataset (using SPSS) for analysis with HLM 7 software and how to perform various HLM analyses. Participants will have the chance to work on practice exercises, with several instructors available to mentor and answer questions. Participants should have a solid understanding of OLS regression and a basic understanding of hierarchical/multi-level models. Prior experience using a statistical software package, such as Stata or SPSS, is helpful. Prior knowledge about large-scale international studies or prior experience using the respective databases or HLM software is not required. To fully participate in the hands-on demonstrations and example analyses, it is recommended that participants bring their own laptops with HLM software.	Instructor: David C. Miller, American Institutes for Research; Francis Howard Lim Huang, University of Missouri–Columbia; Austin Lasseter, American Institutes for Research; Sabine Meinck, IEA Data Processing and Research Center; Bitnara Jasmine Park, American Institutes for Research; Sakiko Ikoma, The Pennsylvania State University; Yuan Zhang, University of Pittsburgh Date: Monday, April 11, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: $95  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 A
PDC28: Writing an Application for an IES Grant
Course leaders will introduce specific concepts and work through examples of strategies for writing key sections of the Project Narrative (e.g., introduction to the proposal, intervention description, theory of change, research design, analysis, and personnel), as well as examples of common errors and how to avoid them. Participants will have submitted initial drafts of some of these key sections and will work in small groups to revise them based on course leader and participant feedback. Participants will learn how to draft key sections of their proposals to the IES Education and Special Education Grants programs (CFDA 84.305A & 84.3024A). Based on application examples, course leader feedback, and participant comments, participants will redraft sections of their proposals. Participants must complete pre-session work, submit a copy to IES staff for initial feedback, and bring copies to share with other course participants. This course is by application only.	Instructors: Allen Ruby, Institute of Education Sciences; Meredith J. Larson, National Center for Education Research Date: Monday, April 11, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Fee: No fee. This course is by application only.   Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 B
Back to course list
PDC29: Accessing, Exploring, and Using the National Center for Education Statistics Data Tools and Data Collections
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has several state-of-the-art data tools that allow users to access and analyze data. This mini course provides participants with a comprehensive overview of those tools to access data sets. Participants will learn how to access public-use and restricted-use data sets, create reports and data tables, find published reports, and conduct analyses in selected statistical tools. NCES offers a large variety of national, state, local, school and student data sets, including assessment data, cross-sectional data, survey data, and administrative records, and participants will better understand which data sets cover their educational topic of interest. The course is designed for graduate students, faculty members, researchers, and other users interested in using NCES data for their research studies, evaluations, and data projects. Participants are not required to have any pre-requisite skills to attend. A laptop is required for interactive, in-class activities.	Instructors: Stephen Cornman, U.S. Department of Education; Emanuel Sikali, U.S. Department of Education; Douglas Geverdt, U.S. Department of Education; Sarah Grady, National Center for Education Statistics; Gigi Jones, U.S. Department of Education; Stephanie R. Miller, National Center for Education Statistics; Sean Simone; National Center for Education Statistics; Ted Socha, National Center for Education Statistics; Andrew White, National Center for Education Statistics; Mark Glander, National Center for Education Statistics Date: Monday, April 11, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Fee: $95  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 B
PDC30: Developing a Competitive Educational Research Proposal for the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Research on Learning
This half-day course aids researchers in submitting proposals to the NSF Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Environments (DRL). The course focuses on: 1) funding programs and opportunities in DRL; 2) characteristics and significant changes in DRL’ s major programs; 3) NSF’ s proposal review process and merit review criteria; 4) characteristics of competitive proposals; and 5) common weaknesses of proposals.	Instructors: Ellen McCallie, National Science Foundation; Karen D. King, National Science Foundation; Michael J. Ford, University of Pittsburgh Date: Monday, April 11, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Fee: No fee. This course is by application only.  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 152 A
Back to course list
PDC31: Research on Immigrant Families and Education Worldwide – Organized by the World Education Research Association (WERA)
This course is based on inputs deriving from international research projects carried out in Europe, North America, and Australia that show pathways to the successful educational integration of migrants. The projects concentrate on potential and productive resources deriving from linguistic and cultural diversity rather than on disadvantages and drawbacks, which are common foci of discussions on this topic. Issues covered include theoretical approaches such as “monolingual habitus” and “super-diversity”; reflection on concepts such as “migrant” and “multilingual”; research results on benefits from diversity, e.g., in multilingual constellations of teaching and learning; and the introduction of methodological approaches to empirical research on linguistic or cultural diversity. Inputs will be supported by video examples. Readings and/or handouts will feature theoretical texts as well as research reports, examples from data collection, and transcripts of videos. Small group discussions will take place and will include data analysis and the presentation of results. The course aims at broadening perspectives on differential features of worldwide migration, on theoretical and methodological conceptualizations of diversity, and on positive experiences with diversity in education. The course is designed in particular for early career scholars aiming to undertake research on immigrant populations and education.	Instructors: Ingrid Gogolin, University of Hamburg; Hanne Brandt, University of Hamburg; Rahat Naqvi, Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary Date: Monday, April 11, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Fee: $55  Location: Convention Center, Level One - Room 151 B

Back to course list