Education-Related Research

  • BRS examined school superintendents’ attitudes on leadership practices and policies in a national survey of superintendents for Education Week.

  • BRS explored Americans’ attitudes toward writing education – when and how writing should be taught, and what students gain from it. For The National Writing Project.

  • BRS’ research in California in 2002 exposed how the public’s attitudes run contrary to current changes in education, such as widespread public support for measures to evaluate teacher performance other than student tests, and broad disapproval of dealing with teacher shortages by hiring teachers who are not trained in the subjects they teach. For The Center for Teaching and Learning.

  • BRS has examined the state of after-school programs from the perspective of elementary and middle school principals for the National Association of Elementary School Principals and from the perspective of school board presidents for the National Association of School Board Presidents.

  • BRS provided the most comprehensive assessment by America's teachers on how well the movement to raise academic standards is working in the nation's schools. The national survey of teachers for Education Week is part of the publication's Quality Counts edition, 2001.

  • BRS contrasted the perceptions and priorities for school improvement of urban school board members and the public. The survey and focus groups, conducted for the National School Boards Foundation, were used as a backdrop for educators developing practical means for school boards to contribute to improving public education. The findings are published in, "Leadership Matters: Transforming Urban School Boards," a report of concrete strategies, and on the web at www.nsbf.org.

  • BRS helped the Partnership for Kentucky School Reform develop strategies to build support for reform throughout the state. Our survey of parents and residents provided a needed check-up on public opinion on school reform as the Kentucky Education Reform Act was beginning to be felt in schools and homes.