Christopher Mazzeo’s work focuses on the diverse pathways to postsecondary success and developing and maintaining data and research partnerships. He is currently the Director for Evidence Use at Education Northwest and also serves as the Director of REL Northwest. Prior to joining Education Northwest, Mazzeo spent three years with the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (CCSR), where he managed CCSR’s nationally focused policy and capacity-building initiatives. In this role, he consulted extensively with state and national policymakers, states, school districts, and funders on developing and using indicators of high school graduation and postsecondary readiness, enrollment, and success. Mazzeo has also served as an evaluation consultant and project partner with various philanthropic organizations, including the Joyce, Lumina, James Irvine, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He earned his Ph.D. in Social Sciences, Policy, and Educational Practice at Stanford University in 2001.
AAPF19 Sessions
A Systematic Review of Academic Interventions for Students in Alternative High Schools: A Review of Evidence under ESSA Presenters will inform participants about the rationale, methods, and findings of a systematic review of academic interventions implemented with students ages 14 to 22 who attend alternative high schools. There is a need to review the available research of academic interventions implemented in alternative high schools and identify which instructional practices are most effective from improving outcomes for this population in these contexts. To date, no systematic review that addresses the effectiveness of academic interventions with students who attend alternative high schools is available.
Our findings are limited to the inconsistent reporting of intervention characteristics. Overall, the academic interventions resulted in favorable academic outcomes. However, the studies were of low methodological quality. Researchers infrequently reported fidelity of implementation which limits our understanding if the intervention was delivered with quality as it was intended. Further, few researchers administered standardized measures which minimizes our generalizability of broader academic achievement impact than the researcher-developed measures administered to evaluate the intervention specific outcomes. Additionally, we will review the limited high-quality research base under the ESSA definitions of evidence, highlight the most effective instructional practices implemented in academic interventions, and suggest possible future research and implications for practice. Dr. Christopher Mazzeo will serve as a Discussant to critically examine the findings and to encourage participants to generate evidence in alternative education.
AAPF18 Sessions:
Evaluation and Continuous Improvement in Alternative Education
This workshop will focus on building the capacity alternative education providers to evaluate their programs, either internally or in partnership with external research. Areas of focus will include identifying measurable goals and outcomes, developing a theory of change, and generating implementation feedback for continuous improvement.
Past AAPF Sessions:
Resources and Strategies for Alternative School Accountability
As state plans for school accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act come forth, education leaders around the country are grappling with the best ways to ensure high-quality alternative schools while also allowing them flexibility to successfully fulfill their missions. Panelists in this session will preview two forthcoming resources related to accountability for alternative education settings: (1) a policy brief designed to help education leaders better understand the framework of accountability for alternative education, and (2) a toolkit outlining the systems and processes states can use to ensure robust and relevant accountability for alternative schools. The policy brief examines state definitions of alternative schools, how states are approaching the overall design of alternative accountability systems, specific measures that are responsive to alternative education settings, and mechanisms for continuous improvement. The toolkit discusses the various intricacies of developing a comprehensive system of alternative education, including processes, stakeholder engagement, and guidance for quantitative and qualitative analysis. All panelists will reflect on the general purpose off accountability systems in alternative education and their role in ensuring the quality and continuous improvement of alternative education institutions.
Alternative Accountability Toolkit Receive an alternative accountability toolkit based on work Education NorthWest has done with school districts and states in the Northwest. The toolkit includes templates and guidelines for developing and implementing accountability systems that reflect the complexity of alternative programs. The Session will also address considerations for multiple measure accountability under the new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Session attendees will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the toolkit that will be used to inform and improve the next iteration.
