Part 1: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

DESIGN2LEARN STUDY

ExpandED Schools (formerly TASC), the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE), and the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), invite applications from schools and community partners[1] to join us in a two-year study of a professional development program designed to boost students’ interest, engagement and academic performance in science during the middle school years. Selected schools and community partners will strengthen collaboration and coordination between formal and informal science educators to help educators teach science subjects in an integrated and highly engaging manner. Through intensive professional development workshops, ongoing observation and coaching, a three-person educator teams (one certified science teacher; two informal educators[2]) will be introduced to the Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices, instructional techniques, and tools and resources which have proven to be powerful vehicles for teaching STEM. Schools will be reimbursed for expenses and provided with incentive funding for their participation.

Goals

1. Increase inquiry- and design-based STEM learning opportunities that cultivate students’ STEM skills and interest
2. Improve students’ academic achievement in science
3. Equip high-need students with the science skills and sustained interest to compete for and succeed in 21st-century jobs
4. Understand how to improve STEM education for middle school students

Selection Requirements

ExpandED Schools, NYC DOE, NYSCI and RANYCS will select twelve school and community partners to participate in the Design2Learn Study. To be selected, all schools and community partners must agree to:

1. Be randomly assigned to either the Design2Learn implementation group or the non-implementation group (see evaluation section for more detail)
2. Participate in the study for two school years (2017-2019)
3. Identify educators who will form teams and participate in the study
4. Take part in data collection (evaluation section)
5. Demonstrate evidence of Department of Youth and Development (DYCD) SONYC[3] funding for after-school activities for three school years 2017-2019
6. Demonstrate a track record of high student attendance in after-school
7. Participate in frequent, two-way communication between school leaders, teachers and community partner leaders to improve instructional practice

RESEARCH DESIGN

This study will use a randomized control trial design, where all schools will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

1. Implementation Sites: Schools randomly assigned to this group will implement Design2Learn Study Components during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years.
2. Non-Implementation Sites: Schools randomly assigned to this group will implement their current STEM after-school programing for two school years, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019

The researchers at RANYCS will randomly assign half of the 12 schools to the implementation  group and the other half to the non-implementation  group by May 2017. Schools in both groups, regardless of randomization group, will participate in all data collection efforts[4]. Key activities and expectations for each group are described below.

Implementation Sites	Non-implementation sites
Take Part In: Summer Institutes Fall and Spring Workshops Afterschool Science Instruction Collaborative Planning Observation and School Coaching Strategic Planning Retreat	Take Part In: 10 Hour MediaBreaker Workshop Series (MediaBreaker is an online learning and editing tool for the development of 21st century media literacy skills) Free Access to ExpandED Schools Trainings
Responsible For: 72 Hours of Afterschool STEM Instruction 36 Hours of Collaborative Planning Data Collection	Responsible For: Afterschool STEM Instruction ("business as usual") Data Collection
Receives: $12,400 annually to cover staff costs associated with time for training and instruction, plus materials	Receives: $2,000 annually to support staff time during data collection activities and materials

(See Selection Process and Appendix for explanation of professional development and data collection)

Funding

Implementation Sites: Community Partners will receive a grant of $12,400 yearly to support implementation of Design2Learn Study in the following ways:

• Three-person educator team to attend 42 hours of professional development workshops each year
• Teachers to co-facilitate STEM instruction in the after-school or expanded learning space 72 hours per year (2 hour/week)
• Teachers and informal educators to co-plan 36 hours per year (1 hour/week)
• Staff time should be compensated at the following rates: school day teacher time is paid at NYC DOE per session rates and CBO community educator time is paid at CBO hourly rate
• Community partner to purchase materials and resources needed to facilitate STEM in the after-school or expanded learning space

 Non-Implementation Sites:

A stipend of $2,000 annually for the following efforts:

• Support staff time related to data collection for the study
• Community partner to purchase materials and resources needed to facilitate STEM in the after-school or expanded learning space
• Pay for teacher time to attend non-STEM specific professional development offered by ExpandED Schools

Important Dates

Task	Completed by
Application Due Date	May 1, 2017
Selection of Teams Announced	May 2017
Strategic Planning Retreat	June 30 2017- September 31 2017 (to be scheduled by the school/afterschool team)
New York Hall of Science Summer Institute (educator teams attend one only)	July 31-August 4 2017 OR August 28-September 1 2017

 

[1] Community Partner: Community Based Organization delivering a comprehensive after-school programming three hours each day, five days per week at the school site.
[2] Informal Educators: Educators who are employed by the community partner and facilitate activities in the middle school after-school program.
[3] SONYC: The Comprehensive After School System of New York City (COMPASS NYC) integrates the best Out-of-School Time (OST) practices with the expansion of afterschool programs. COMPASS NYC’s middle school model, renamed SONYC (School’s Out New York City), serves as a pathway to success for youth in 6th, 7th and 8th grades. Structured like clubs, the model offers young people a choice in how they spend their time; provides rigorous instruction in sports and arts; and requires youth leadership through service. Programs are offered three hours each day, five days per week.
[4] Schools selected as a non-implementation sites will not be eligible to participate in initiatives led by ExpandED Schools that may interact with the outcomes of this study. They will, however, have the opportunity to participate in a 10 hour workshop series exploring MediaBreaker.

Part 2:   EVALUATION REQUIREMENTS

All schools, regardless of group assignment, will be asked to take part in data collection efforts as part of the Design2Learn study. This study, evaluating the project’s implementation and impacts, is being conducted by the Research Alliance of New York City Schools (Research Alliance), an independent research organization housed at New York University. The impact study will answer the following questions:

What is the impact of Design2Learn Program on students’:

• Exposure to design-based science curricula and learning opportunities?
• Interest and engagement in science?
• Performance on the New York State 8th grade Science Assessment?

The study will provide necessary context for interpreting the impact findings and offer formative feedback to ExpandED Schools by addressing the following research questions:

• What are the qualifications and prior experiences of Design2Learn’s collaborative teaching teams (and their counterparts in the non-implementing schools)?
• How much of the intervention’s planning and professional development activities did teaching teams attend and how long did they participate in the program?
• What is the overall level of programming quality as assessed by standardized assessments for after-school programs?
• What are the challenges to implementing the Design2Learn Study and to sustaining its operation at high levels of fidelity?
• To what extent was the Design2Learn study implemented with fidelity?
• What are the characteristics of after-school programming in the non-implementing programs? How did the non-implementing programs differ from the Design2Learn Study?

The section below explains what is involved in the data collection process so you can make an informed decision about your participation.

Evaluation Requirements

The data collection  will begin in summer 2017 and will last through the end of the 2018-19 school year. All schools will sign a Memorandum of Understanding indicating their commitment to the study and its requirements, including the outcome of the random assignment process. Below are the following expectations for participation in this study, whether or not your school is assigned to be an implementation site:

• Principal Approval to Conduct Research: Schools must obtain approval from their principals to conduct this research study in their school. Schools are required to return approval forms signed by their principal; without principal approval, the study cannot take place at the school. The Research Alliance will provide the form.
• Student Opt-Out Forms: Schools must obtain passive parental consent from 7^th graders in their after-school programs (The Research Alliance will provide the form).  Please include this consent form in your after-school enrollment packets each year.  Student opt-out forms must be distributed each year of the study.  Please note that, because this is an opt-out consent form, forms should only be returned in the event that a student or family does not want their child to participate.

• Student Selection: 25 students must participate in the study and enroll in the after-school STEM activity for two hours per week ; if more than 25 students indicate interest and your after-school cannot serve them all, The Research Alliance will conduct a lottery to determine which 25 students will initially take part in Design2Learn. Researchers will draw on the remaining pool of consented students to replace a student who has dropped out of the program.
• Ensure Ongoing Student Participation: All students in the original 7th grade cohort will constitute the research sample for the evaluation and will remain in the sample throughout the study period, regardless of their after-school participation status. However, the message should be communicated to students that if they are interested in participating in the Design2Learn program, they are expected to remain in the program through all remaining two years of middle school. While we cannot require this outcome, the success of determining the impact of the initiative relies heavily on low student drop out.  We are seeking sites that can provide evidence of low student attrition/high student retention in after-school from 7^th through 8^th grade. Your application should include evidence of such and/or document strategies that will be used to maximize continuous student participation over time.

The study includes the following data collection requirements for students in both implementation sites and non-implementation sites:

• Student Surveys: All students participating in the study at implementation sites and non-implementation sites will be asked to complete student surveys at the beginning and end of each school year. Surveys will focus on science engagement and interest. Student surveys will be available online or in paper form, and are expected to take 15-20 minutes to complete. After-school program staff will work with ExpandED Schools to schedule and administer the surveys.

• Enrollment and participation data: Sites will enter student-level after-school attendance information, including information on daily participation in Design2Learn or comparison program STEM activities, into an online enrollment and daily attendance platform provided by ExpandED Schools and shared with The Research Alliance.

• Standardized program quality assessments: Trained and certified observers from ExpandED Schools will conduct STEM-based activity observations using the Dimensions of Success (DoS) observation tool. Schools will be observed twice (once in the fall and once in the spring) each year for a total of four activity observations across the two years. At implementation sites, observers will view the Design2Learn program; in non-implementation sites, observers will view an after-school STEM activity.

• Access to students’ unique school IDs to obtain student outcomes data. Sites will provide The Research Alliance with a roster of all students in the study, including students’ name, date of birth, and unique school IDs (OSIS) to allow collection of the following data from The Research Alliances’ data archive:

• Background Characteristics: The archive includes baseline characteristics of all students in the NYC public school system (race/ethnicity, gender, age, special education status, English language learner status and eligibility for free or reduced price lunch).
• Science Achievement: The archive includes Science state test scores for 8th grade students.
• Other Outcomes: The evaluation will also have access to a range of other outcomes included in The Research Alliance data archive, including student attendance, school transfers, retention in grade, course grades, and test scores in mathematics and English language arts.

In addition, both implementation sites and non-implementation sites are required to participate in the following additional evaluation activities:

• Annual site visits and interviews: The Research Alliance will conduct site visits to a sample of the Design2Learn and control programs during each year of the project. During these visits, The Research Alliance will interview project staff and conduct observations of program activities. Interviews will focus on challenges staff face in implementing the program and sustaining student and teacher participation.

• Program staff online surveys: The Research Alliance will conduct a brief online survey of all program staff implementing Design2Learn, and their control counterparts implementing STEM activities. Administered at the end of each program year, the survey will include questions about the characteristics of the activities (e.g., content covered, types of activities), student engagement in the activities, and supports and challenges implementing STEM programming and coordinating with in-school instruction.

Both implementation and non-implementation programs will receive high-quality professional development and materials at no cost. Training for both groups will assist sites in meeting the SONYC STEM requirements. If your school/after school is randomly assigned to the non-implementation group, you will implement your after-school STEM programming as normal, but will 1) participate in the data collection activities for the study (see above); 2) receive $2000 yearly to support staff time for data collection and purchasing materials; and 3) have the opportunity to participate in a 10 hour workshop series exploring MediaBreaker (an online learning and editing tool for the development of 21^st century media literacy skills). This three session model (a $1,500 value) is aimed at increasing the capacity of educators to design lesson plans with digital tools (MediaBreaker/Studios) that encourage critical thinking, media literacy, and student collaboration.  In addition to the professional development, your site will receive an annual coaching site visit.  Finally, you will also qualify for additional ExpandED Schools trainings for free (a $40 per person per workshop value).

Part 3: SELECTION PROCESS

EXPECTATIONS

Educator teams will offer two hours weekly of Design2Learn science instruction during the after-school hours for at least 25 young people per year for two years. The Research Alliance for New York City Schools (RANYCS) will assess the impact of the Design2Learn Study using a random-control design.

 ALL SCHOOLS and community partners commit to:

• Participating in Design2Learn Study for two school years, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019.
• Identifying one educator team (consisting of one science teacher and two informal educators) per school year to participate as follows:
  • 2017-2018: 7^th grade science teacher and two informal educators
  • 2018-2019: 8^th grade science teacher and two informal educators
• Providing STEM instruction in the after school space to 7^th graders in 2016-2017 and 8^th graders in 2018-2019
• Identifying a Data Collection Coordinator, who will assist with scheduling and implementing data collection efforts
• Hosting site visits for NYSCI science coaches, ExpandED Schools staff, The Research Alliance staff, NYC DOE staff, funders, and other schools and community partners.

 In addition to the above, IMPLEMENTATION SCHOOLS and community partners commit to the following:

• Participating in the following professional development activities per school year (see Appendix for more detail):
• 5-day, 30 hour Summer Institute in August of each year of the study
• 2 hour Strategic Planning Retreat in the summer or fall of each year of the study, including CBO leadership, School Principal, and educator team
• 2-day, 12 hour Professional Development Workshops held in the fall and spring of each year of the study
• 2 on-site observation and coaching sessions from NYSCI each year of the study
• 2 site visits per month from ExpandED Schools Program Manager each year of the study
• Providing 72 hours of Design2Learn after-school science instruction (1 hour/day, 2 days/week for 36 weeks) to 25 students per year
• Scheduling 36 hours of collaborative planning (1 hour/week for 36 weeks) for educator teams per year
• Scheduling 36 hours (1 hour/week for 36 weeks) for the science teacher to co-facilitate Design2Learn science instruction in after-school

Part 4:   APPLICATION FORM

Please respond to each of the questions below. Please keep your answers specific and concise.  We strongly recommend that the school and their community partner collaborate to answer these questions. 

APPLICANT PROFILE

EDUCATOR TEAM

Please list the Science Teacher(s) who will attend Design2Learn trainings and lead STEM activities. In Year 1 (2017-2018) a 7^th grade teacher participates and in Year 2 (2018-2019) an 8^th grade teacher participates.

Please list the two Community Educators who will attend Design2Learn trainings and lead STEM activities in Year 1 (2017-2018).

FINANCIAL CAPACITY

STEM PROGRAMMING INFORMATION

School Day Science

After-School STEM

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

If selected to be an implementation site, school leadership, including the Principal, Assistant Principal and/or Curriculum or Science coach, must attend a Strategic Planning Retreat scheduled by the school-community team between June 30 2017 and September 31 2017. Please list three possible Strategic Planning Retreat dates below and sign that you understand these requirements.

Part 5: FORMS

Please complete and upload each of the following forms.

1. Approval to Conduct Research form - this NYC DOE IRB form grants permission to conduct research and must be signed by your school’s Principal. Download a blank copy here.

2. Data Collection Coordinator form - This form designates the Data Collection Coordinator who will be the point-person for data collection activities (student surveys, attendance, staff surveys, etc) throughout the course of the study. Download a blank copy here.

3. Staff Consent form - This form indicating staff consent to participate in Design2Learn must be signed by all three members of the 2017-2018 educator team identified in this application.  Download a blank copy here.

4. Memorandum of Understanding - This Memorandum indicates your understanding of the study and its requirements, including the outcome of the random assignment process. Download a blank copy here.

Part 6: APPENDIX

DESIGN2LEARN STUDY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Please complete and upload each of the following forms.

Implementation sites will participate in the following professional development activities:

 Summer Institutes

NYSCI will host a five-day (30-hour) summer institute, which will take place in August of each year of the study. Educator teams will have the opportunity to:

• Develop a shared understanding of the important features of STEM and the Engineering Design Process
• Build their capacity to plan STEM activities aligned to the NYC Science Scope and Sequence and the Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices
• Build their leadership capacity to support STEM and the Engineering Design Process within their school communities

Fall and Spring Workshops

NYSCI will host two professional development workshops (6-hours each in October/November and March) for the educator team to continue building capacity to facilitate hands-on, interactive STEM lessons aligned to the NYC Science Scope and Sequence, engineering and design thinking.

After-School Science Instruction

Educator teams will facilitate 72 hours of STEM instruction per year (1 hour/day, 2 days/week for 36 weeks) to 25 students during the after-school hours. The school day educator is only required to co-facilitate 1 hour per week.

Collaborative Planning

Educator teams will participate in weekly planning sessions totaling 36 hours per year (1 hour/week for 36 weeks) during which they map out STEM units aligned to the NYC Science Scope & Sequence and school day curricula. 

Observation & Coaching School Visits

NYSCI will conduct two observations and coaching sessions (one fall, one spring) with each educator team per year and ExpandED Schools Program Manager will visit once a month for the length of the school year to provide school-based instructional coaching to ensure feedback and continuous quality improvement for educator teams. 

Strategic Planning Retreat

School and community leaders and educators will attend a Planning Retreat in June-September (scheduled by school and community team) of each year of the study to identify needs and develop a STEM education school plan with clear objectives and implementation goals.

Non-implementation sites will participate in the following professional development activities:

Media Breaker

ExpandED Schools will offer a 10 hour workshop series exploring MediaBreaker (an online learning and editing tool for the development of 21^st century media literacy skills). This three session model is aimed at increasing the capacity of educators to design lesson plans with digital tools (MediaBreaker/Studios) that encourage critical thinking, media literacy, and student collaboration. In addition to the professional development, your site will receive an annual site visit to provide coaching for the Media Breaker program

ExpandED Schools Professional Development

Non-implementation sites also qualify for additional ExpandED Schools trainings for free (a $40/workshop value).  The menu of Professional Development offerings is online here.  Please note that non-implementation sites are not eligible to attend STEM-related trainings.

 

DESIGN2LEARN PARTNERS

ExpandED Schools

Founded in 1998 as The After-School Corporation (TASC), the mission of ExpandED Schools is to close the learning gap by increasing access to enriched education experiences. Since its inception, ExpandED Schools has partnered with over 400 community and cultural organizations and provided support to over 560 schools. While we work on the ground to support schools, we also work with partners of all kinds to change public policy and build sustainable public funding to expand learning opportunities across the nation. Our efforts have led to the narrowing of the opportunity gap and increased educational equity for students living in high-poverty communities. ExpandED Schools has particular interest and expertise in STEM education, having worked with dozens of schools and a wide range of organizations engaged in informal STEM learning, most notably through the NYC STEM Education Network, which we co-facilitate.

New York City Department of Education

NYCDOE is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (the New York City public schools) is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,800 separate schools. The department covers all five boroughs of New York City, and has an annual budget of nearly 25 billion dollars. The department is run by the Panel for Educational Policy and New York City Schools Chancellor. The current chancellor is Carmen Fariña.

New York Hall of Science

NYSCI is NYC’s premiere hands-on science and technology center and is consistently rated among the top ten science museums in the world. In addition to being a great destination for families with over 450 interactive exhibits, it is one of the leading providers of education services for students and teachers. NYSCI seeks to bring the excitement and understanding of the sciences to children, families, teachers and others by galvanizing their curiosity and offering them creative, participatory ways to learn. NYSCI has a rich history of offering innovative STEM professional development experiences for educators of all grades. NYSCI offers a Science Coach Program where NYSCI educators visit and co-teach in order to model hands-on STEM lessons, support students in practicing for their mandated science tests and help with growing a culture of science learning in the entire school. 

Research Alliance of New York City

The Research Alliance for New York City Schools (The Research Alliance), founded in 2008, is an independent evaluator housed at New York University within the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. The organization strives to advance equity and excellence in education by providing nonpartisan evidence about policies and practices that promote students' development and academic success. The Research Alliance conducts rigorous, applied research in collaboration with policymakers, educators and other stakeholders; maintains a unique archive of longitudinal data on NYC schools and communities to support ongoing research; and communicates the results of their work to multiple audiences in NYC and nationally. Their work focuses on four main areas: high school achievement, attainment and post-secondary preparation; achievement and development in the middle grades; contexts that support effective teaching; and data use for practice and policy.