Equitable Rostering Solution: A Project on Evidence-Based Student-Teacher Assignment

Equitable Rostering Solution (ERS) is a scalable, technology-enabled innovation that optimizes the process by which students are assigned to teachers and, in turn, disrupts the cycle by which students are subject to multiple years of ineffective instruction. ERS leverages rich, holistic profiles of both student and teacher strengths and needs and uses them to recommend within-school student-teacher assignments that enable the type of data-informed management strategies that educational researchers have recommended for over a decade. The project supports ERS’ continued development and a pilot study in the use of ERS.

Aims/Goals

Three objectives drive our research plan. Our first objective is to document student-teacher assignment practices by studying statewide assignment practices in North Carolina and interviewing school leaders, teachers, and other key stakeholders involved with classroom rostering. Our second objective is to further advance ERS with respect to the underlying analytics that create teacher-student assignments and the interface with that school leaders interact to produce final classroom rosters. Our third objective is a small-scale pilot study with 12 elementary schools to understand the social and operational feasibility of ERS and the potential efficacy of ERS in producing positive student outcomes. We also plan to conduct a cost analysis of implementing the innovation at scale.

Potential Outcomes/Impact

Unlike many education reforms that require large investments of new resources and personnel, ERS offers a way for districts to make the most of their current resources. By reducing the possibility that students will receive multiple years of ineffective instruction, ERS ensures more equitable access to effective and, in turn, has the potential to reduce achievement gaps among students.

People

• Matthew G. Springer
• Thad Domina
• Lora Cohen-Vogel
• Peter Halpin
• Chris Brooks
• Cari Carson
• Peyton Powers
• Partners from Basis Policy Research and Hourglass Educational Technology Solutions

Publications

Updates coming soon