Adult Education

This research project investigates the effectiveness of online professional development programs for teachers. Specifically, it addresses three questions: (1) How effective are online programs in improving teachers’ content knowledge and classroom practices as compared with other models of professional development? (2) How do interactions among participants and facilitators differ across online models, and how do these interactions contribute to learning? and (3) What factors make for successful online professional development programs?

GSDL provides high-quality digital resources to: (1) help educators promote interest and engagement with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education by learners of all ages, particularly females; (2) encourage learners to pursue science education and future careers in science; (3) provide an inter-disciplinary examination of the role of gender in the creation, teaching, and learning of science; and (4) build community among all interested users for the purposes of inquiry, information exchange, best practices development, and mentoring.

Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass., has contracted with CSE to conduct the preliminary research for and the evaluation of its new Massachusetts Technician Education Collaboration (Mass-TEC). Mass-TEC, a three-year project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Technological Education program, intends to increase the number of skilled technicians in central Massachusetts to support regional employers’ high-end engineering and manufacturing operations.

CC&F, in partnership with Aid to Incarcerated Mothers (AIM), is training a cadre of mentors who will support children in Massachusetts, ages 4 to 14, who have a parent in a state or federal prison. CAMP’s goal is to minimize the impact of separation and incarceration on the child, and to improve the bonds between the children and their parent who is incarcerated. CC&F designed and is delivering a comprehensive training series that informs and supports mentors in their work with children.

Literacy and Community Empowerment Program (LCEP) is an integrated community development initiative that includes components in literacy, capacity building for income generation, and local governance in Afghanistan. Within the literacy component of LCEP, EDC is responsible for two interrelated subcomponents: the establishment and ongoing development of a Women’s Teacher Training Institute in Kabul and the implementation of the Afghan Literacy Initiative.

The primary goal of this project is to improve the language and literacy skills of at-risk children and their families though four mechanisms: (1) Early Childhood Education: A specific language and literacy curriculum, Building Language for Literacy, will be added to the Head Start preschool classrooms;

This project is developing two products for the National Institute for Literacy. The products will be used by schools and other organizations and groups to engage parents with low literacy skills in supporting their children’s (kindergarten through third grade) literacy development through fun, at-home activities. The products include a facilitators manual and parent activity guide. EDC project stasff are working with national literacy experts on the development of the products.

The PALMS project seeks to increase the number of Latino students who pursue education beyond high school. Through high-quality materials, such as Tools for Latino Family Outreach: Supporting Student Success in the Middle Grades and Beyond, the project equips school and community leaders to work effectively with Latino families and students. In September 2006, PALMS began working with Helen Tyson Middle School (Springdale, Arkansas) and Hommocks Middle School (Larchmont, NY) to document how leaders at these schools use the tools to develop replicable parental outreach models.

HHD/EDC is working closely with Education International, a federation of teacher unions, and WHO to help teacher unions in Haiti and 11 African countries conduct an HIV/AIDS prevention program. The project’s objectives are to help teachers protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs); advocate for school-based HIV prevention programs and policies; and use skills-based health education in the classroom to prevent HIV/AIDS and other STIs among students.