The Research Alliance for New York City Schools at NYU

03/03/2026

On February 27, the Youth Opportunity & Wellbeing Pitchfest brought together NYU researchers to present ideas and programs that enhance opportunities and support the wellbeing of young people. Presentations focused on initiatives that promote education, career pathways, mentorship, mental and physical health, social-emotional development, and the creation of safe, inclusive spaces. The Research Alliance’s Youth Advisory Council was well represented by Bronx Science student Cooper Halpern, who presented along with Research Analyst Michelle Flores about a proposed NYC School Equity Indicator Summit. Learn more about the work of the Youth Advisory Council here:
https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/research-alliance/youth-advisory-council-yac

12/08/2023

In September 2022, New York City Public Schools announced a major expansion of work-based learning programs for high school students. The initiative, which provides 3,000 students with apprenticeships in technology, business, education, and healthcare, is one part of a larger vision for career-connected learning for all students throughout the system. While the scope of this initiative is new, the effort to link students to work has been underway for decades. ExpandED Schools’ STEM Options (ES Options) program is one example. ES Options connects interested students with STEM-focused, credit-bearing apprenticeships each year during the spring. Students who successfully complete the apprenticeship continue into paid summer internships.

In the first report of two from the Research Alliance's study of ES Options, we examine student recruitment, enrollment, and retention for the 2022 cohort. Drawing on data from program providers, instructors, and students, our report makes a number of recommendations aimed at increasing students’ persistence in ES Options and other similar work-based learning initiatives.

Read Recruiting and Retaining High School Students in Out-of-School Work-Based Learning: Lessons from New York City:

In the first report of two from the Research Alliance's study of ExpandED STEM Options, we examine student recruitment, enrollment, and retention for the 2022 cohort.

09/15/2023

As Dr. Cheri Fancsali begins her tenure as Executive Director, she reflects on the Research Alliance's accomplishments and priorities for future work. Read Dr. Fancsali's first Executive Director's Note and catch up on Dr. Kemple's reflections as he steps into his new role as Senior Fellow:

As Dr. Cheri Fancsali begins her tenure as Executive Director, she reflects on our accomplishments and priorities for future work.

07/03/2023

On September 1, Dr. James Kemple will step down from his role as the founding Executive Director the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, after 15 years in the position. He will be succeeded by Dr. Cheri Fancsali, who currently serves as the organization’s Deputy Director. Fancsali brings a wealth of experience in education research, with a strong focus on helping educators and policymakers use evidence to serve students more effectively.

Fancsali plans to collaborate with school and district leaders, teachers, and community partners to develop new processes and tools that help them build and make sense of evidence and put it to use on behalf of NYC students and families. She also emphasizes the need to center equity and racial justice at every stage of the Research Alliance’s work—from the topics the organization studies, to the methods it uses and the communities it hopes to benefit.

Read more about the Research Alliance's leadership transition, including reflections from NYC Schools Chancellor David Banks, FPWA Executive Director & CEO Jennifer Jones Austin, UFT President Michael Mulgrew, CSA President Henry Rubio, and many others:

This summer, Dr. James Kemple will step down from his role as the Executive Director of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, after 15 years in the position.

03/27/2023

NYC as a Laboratory for Learning About Career and Technical Education: Lessons from CTE-Dedicated High Schools is the first in a series of reports from our ongoing study aimed at informing local and national CTE policy and practice. This new report focuses on 37 CTE-Dedicated high schools, which are structured to ensure that all enrolled students participate in a CTE Program of Study from 9th through 12th grade.

The key findings show that CTE-Dedicated high schools increased students’ engagement in 9th through 12th grade, with modest improvements in attendance, credit accumulation, and staying on track for a New York State Regents diploma. Overall, CTE students graduated from high school and enrolled in college at rates that were similar, on average, to their non-CTE counterparts. However, we found that smaller, nonselective CTE-Dedicated schools focused on occupations that typically require a Bachelor’s degree produced meaningful improvements in high school graduation and college enrollment. The report also highlights the need for more work-based learning opportunities for students and better tracking of these experiences. These and other findings are highly relevant to the NYC Department of Education’s new investments to strengthen career-connected learning.

Read more in NYC as a Laboratory for Learning about Career and Technical Education: Lessons from CTE-Dedicated High Schools

This report is one of several that will emerge from our ongoing study aimed at informing local and national CTE policy and practice. It focuses on 37 CTE-Dedicated high schools, which are structured to ensure that all enrolled students participate in a CTE Program of Study from 9th through 12th grad...

06/14/2022

The Research Alliance is developing a set of education equity indicators aimed at informing policy decisions and enhancing public understanding of educational inequality in New York City. The work is closely aligned with The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Framework for Monitoring Educational Equity, which proposes 16 indicators designed to measure disparities in both academic outcomes and access to vital resources and opportunities, throughout K-12 education. The indicators cover 7 separate domains, including K-12 learning and engagement, access to high-quality curricula and instruction, and access to supportive school and classroom environments.

The first two installments in the series are now live on our website: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/research-alliance/developing-equity-indicators-nyc-schools

01/27/2022

The Maker Partnership Program (MPP) is a research-practice partnership between the Research Alliance for New York City Schools, Maker State, and Schools that Can. MPP developed and tested a new model for building teachers' capacity to integrate computer science and computational thinking (CS/CT) into elementary science instruction using Maker pedagogy. This report highlights key findings and lessons from our study of MPP and provides access to resources and materials designed for the project, including information about MPP's approach to teacher professional development, descriptions of Maker instructional strategies, and sample lesson plans.

Read the full report:

This report highlights key findings and lessons from our study of MPP and provides access to resources and materials designed for the project, including information about MPP’s approach to teacher professional development, descriptions of Maker instructional strategies, and sample lesson plans.

11/30/2021

Design2Learn (D2L) is a NYC-based afterschool program aimed at increasing middle school students’ interest, engagement, and achievement in science. The program centers around 1) collaborative teaching between an in-school science teacher and two afterschool educators, 2) curricular bridging, which connects students’ in-school science instruction with afterschool activities, and 3) design-based learning, which emphasizes hands-on projects and inquiry-based instruction. To support the implementation of D2L, ExpandED Schools partnered with the New York Hall of Science to provide intensive professional development for educators, including week-long summer institutes, Saturday workshops, strategic planning sessions, and on-site coaching.

In 2016, the U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) fund awarded ExpandED Schools a grant to support the design and evaluation of D2L, with the Research Alliance serving as the external evaluator. Our new report presents findings about D2L’s implementation and impact. It highlights generally strong fidelity to the D2L model, with sites participating fully in the PD and support that was provided. Yet, both D2L and control sites struggled with student attendance—a common challenge for afterschool programs during the middle school years. The report examines D2L’s impact on a range of student outcomes.

Read more about the Design2Learn Implementation and Impact Study: https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/research-alliance/research/design2learn-implementation-and-impact-study

Design2Learn (D2L) is a NYC-based afterschool program aimed at increasing middle school students’ interest, engagement, and achievement in science. We examined D2L’s implementation, as well as its impact on various student outcomes.

09/15/2021

This week, our newsletter highlights NYC's Special Education Landscape. : What did you know about IEPs & different types of disabilities before reading this Spotlight post? What surprised you?

Read the full spotlight post: https://bit.ly/397psxw

Join us across our social media channels for the month of September as we explore how you are putting evidence to use for NYC students and schools. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for weekly discussion questions on a collection of publications curated for the season.

In New York City, more than 200,000 public school students are eligible for special education, as indicated by having an Individualized Education Program (IEP).[1] IEPs are written documents that outline educational goals, required special education services, and other information for any public sch...

09/10/2021

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