In this era of accountability, Washington State school districts collect an unprecedented amount of data about their schools, teachers, and students. These efforts are consistent with current trends in state and federal policy, but it is not always clear exactly how district and school leaders can use these data to improve policy and practice in order to enhance student learning.

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To address this problem, CEDR has created partnerships with Washington State school districts to support the productive use of data. The Strategic Districts Partnership Initiative (SDPI) is designed to provide school districts with additional analytic capacity and to assist them in building their own capacity to conduct research and implement evidence-based practice.

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Using a combination of state and local data, SDPI can shed light on questions such as:

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• How effective are the teachers in a given district compared to the rest of the state?

• Do reading specialists improve student outcomes?

• How do different district reading curricula impact student learning?

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Currently, the districts of Anacortes, Bellevue, Bethell, Kent, Nooksack, Odessa, Oroville, Renton, Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma are participating in the SDPI. By sharing data with CEDR, districts contribute information that is vital to understanding the impact of current policies on students. With input from more districts in the state, CEDR will be able to apply rigorous research methods with adequate sample sizes to questions and concerns about the teachers and students in local schools.

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If you are a district administrator interested in participating in the SDPI, please contact us at CEDR@uw.edu.

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If you would like to learn more about ways you can support CEDR's work, please contact the Office of Advancement, at 206.221.7735 or CEDR@uw.edu.