IES Predoctoral Program Seminar: Dr. Angela Boatman

The University of Pennsylvania Predoctoral Training Program in Interdisciplinary Research Methods for Field-based Research in Education, sponsored by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), welcomes Dr. Angela Boatman to our weekly seminar series. 

Lessons Learned from a Largescale Longitudinal Impact Study

Presented by Dr. Angela Boatman, Associate Professor, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College

In this seminar, I will discuss the lessons learned from a multi-year evaluation of a high school math remediation program designed to prepare students for college-level math courses. The Seamless Alignment and Integrated Learning Support (SAILS) program offers math remediation in a student’s senior year of high school in Tennessee. Together with multiple partners and stakeholders, we undertook a statewide evaluation of the program, examining its implementation, the attitudes of students and teachers in the program, and how participation in SAILS, and therefore exemption from remediation courses in college, affected students’ math knowledge and college academic outcomes. Of note, three years into the implementation of the program, several college access policies changed across the state, complicating the identification strategy for the evaluation. I will highlight the major analytic challenges we faced and how we addressed these issues, along with the dynamics of implementing a statewide assessment with multiple stakeholders. 

More information

The IES Predoctoral Program’s weekly seminar series connects program fellows and affiliates to scholars and practitioners who engage in educational research and the development of research methods.

Seminars are likely of interest to doctoral students and faculty. If you are interested in attending virtually, please email Melanie Bahti for Zoom information.