Research & Evaluation
All of the following projects include an interdisciplinary team of researchers, educators, administrators, and artists who work toward a better understanding of the impact of these projects on teaching and learning.
PROJECT 1: The Ohio State University &
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Ohio State University and the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) provide innovative K-12 teacher professional development inspired by the RSC's Stand Up for Shakespeare manifesto, which calls for students to: Do Shakespeare on their Feet, See it Live, and Start it Early. I partner with literacy and drama researchers to develop, administer, collect, and analyze the data.
PROJECT 2: Children's Defense Fund University District
Freedom Schools
The Children’s Defense Fund University District Freedom School Program is an 8 week, full-day literacy enrichment program. Scholars who have finished Kindergarten through 11th grade focus on a culturally rich reading curriculum in the mornings and on social justice issues in the afternoons. As the lead researcher, I work directly with the program director to design and implement the evaluation and research.
PROJECT 3: Literacy to Life
Literacy to Life is a school-based literacy program for third graders that uses drama-based pedagogies to transform students’ understanding and approach to writing. For seven weeks, students write individual and group stories using the Literacy to Life curriculum. Then, the Paramount Story Wranglers collect student stories, adapting them into a full-length sketch production that they perform for the entire school. As the lead researcher, I help develop the program implementation and research/evaluation of the program. This is a large scale, multi-site program.
In addition, I am working with the program director to develop, implement, and research a new initiative STEM through the Arts.