Request for Proposals
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Improving Teacher Quality Grants 2012-2013
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title II, Part A
CFDA Number: 84.367
Improving Teacher Quality grants are authorized by the federal Elementary and
Secondary Education Act (ESEA; formerly known as NCLB), Title II, Part A law and
are administered through the Colorado Department of Higher Education (DHE). The
purpose of the grants is to increase P-12 student academic growth and
achievement by improving educator effectiveness and the equitable distribution
of effective educators throughout the state. These funds may be used to address
professional development for in-service teachers, coursework for highly
qualified paraprofessionals who are working toward teacher licensure or the need
for more effective principals and assistant principals who are well-prepared for
the schools and communities in which they will work. In exchange for receiving
funds, partners will be held accountable to the public for improvements in P-12
student academic growth and achievement.
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View RFP
PROPOSAL AND APPLICATION DEADLINE: OCTOBER 19, 2012 |
Current Research Projects
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Price Sensitivity in Student Selection of Colorado Public 4-Year Institutions
In late 2011, the Colorado Department of Higher Education contracted with Augenblick, Palaich and Associates (hereafter “APA”), a local educational research firm, to complete a study assessing the effects of price on the college selection behavior of students (i.e. price sensitivity) in Colorado. The researchers sought to understand 1) the relationship between “net college admission price and student choice of institution to attend” and 2) what factors influenced this relationship. Using the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s Student Unit Record Data System (SURDS), the researchers analyzed the effect of a $1,000 increase in net price (i.e. cost of attendance minus financial aid) on the probability of student selection (i.e. the probability that a student will choose to attend a particular institution over another institution). APA found the following:
- that increases in tuition do influence college selection, and,
- different groups of students are more sensitive to changes in price than others.
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Summary
Report
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Development of four enrollment projection models (a 10-year forecast)
Contracted with Noel-Levitz, Inc. to develop four enrollment projection models (a 10-year forecast) for each CDHE institution (all public four-year and two-year public institutions in Colorado as tabulated in Appendix A of this agreement) for: college-bound high school seniors; new transfer students; new adult undergraduate students; and new graduate students (for those schools that enroll graduate students). Each model will include separate projections for specific race/ethnic groups. Individual school models will be aggregated into a statewide model, a model by sector, and a model by region. Noel- Levitz will provide spreadsheet workbooks for each model developed and will do an on-site presentation to CDHE staff on the implications of the modes. A written executive summary will also be provided. Results will be shared publicly and in-depth with Colorado public institutions.
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Summary
Presentation
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Statewide College Participation Models
Contracted with Noel-Levitz, Inc. to develop five statewide college participation models on the propensity of high
school sophomores (or seniors pending quality of CDHE data) to: attend college;
attend a 2-year in-state public institution; attend a regional four-year public institution;
attend a statewide 4-year public institution; or attend an in-state private or out-of-state
public or private institution. Results will be shared publicly and in-depth with Colorado public institutions.
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Report Coming Soon
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Colorado Admissions Standards Policy Impact Study
Contracted with Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates (APA) to analyze research questions related to Colorado’s Admissions Standards Policy, which is currently under review. Questions to be analyzed Research questions may include:
1) How have admission rates varied by institution and school year?
2) How are admission rates related to the institutional diversity?
3) Are changes in admission rates or the characteristics of admitted students correlated with changes in post-secondary success?
4) How are factors considered in admission related to post-secondary success?
Results will be shared publicly.
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Summary
Report |
Colorado Admissions Standards Policy Impact Study
Contracted with Colorado Mesa University to analyze research questions related to Colorado's Admissions Standards Policy. The final report will include analysis regarding realigning the admission index and examining the remedial cut scores. Results will be shared publicly.
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Report |
Comprehensive Remedial Analysis
Contracted with Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates (APA) to analyze research questions related to review of the Remedial Policy. Research questions may include:
1) Over time, how do ACT scores correlate with undergraduate GPA and degree attainment?
2) Do scores correlate with length of time taken to obtain an undergraduate degree?
3) Should broader measures be included as part of state remediation or admission policy?
4) Does rigor of the high school curriculum correlate with degree attainment?
Results will be shared publicly.
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Report 1: A Look at Selected State Policies Outside of Colorado
Report 2: An Analysis of Colorado Student Remediation Data |
Retention and Transfer Study
Contracted with the National Center for Higher Education Management Statistics (NCHEMS) to address the following primary three research questions:
1) What influence do students' background characteristics - including but not limited to academic, institutional, financial, and demographic variables - have on their retention and transfer within the postsecondary system?
2) How do student retention and migration patterns differ by the following subgroups: full-time students, part-time students, adult learners, incoming transfer students by county, and by sector?
3) How does college participation, in addition to retention and transfer, function as a dependent variable to the other independent variables in the study and what are its strongest predictors?
Results will be shared publicly.
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Report
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Educator Preparation Study
Contracted jointly with the Education Innovation Institute at the University of Northern Colorado and the Schools of Education at University of Colorado Boulder and University of Colorado Denver. The research analysis will address the following research questions:
1) What process do IHEs user to identify "completers" for initial teacher licensure and endorsements in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education and/or Special Education Generalist?
2) What are the demographic characteristics of Colorado teachers who received their preparation at Colorado IHEs? How do these demographics vary by IHE?
3) How do teacher placement rates in Colorado schools and school districts compare across IHEs?
4) How do school districts of teachers with initial licensure versus additional endorsements compare?
5) What is the rate of transfer to a new school/district from December 2010 to December 2011? Retention?
Results will be shared publicly.
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Report 1: Linking Teachers to Preparation Programs
Report 2: Providing Context for Outcomes-Based Teacher Preparation Program Evaluation
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Workforce Needs as they Relate to Higher Education in Colorado
Contracted with the independent researcher Gary Horvath. The research analysis will include a review of Colorado's broad economic goals, review of workforce projections (disaggregated by key industries and clusters), and identification of current and potential workforce demand gaps.
Results will be shared publicly.
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Presentation
2011 Level of Education vs. Industry
2011 Level of Education vs. Occupation
2011 NAICS (Industry) vs. Occupation (SOC)
Completions by Region and Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) 2003 vs 2010
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Does Nonprofit Financial Aid Affect Postsecondary Completion Rates -
a capstone project done by a UCD student
The Colorado Department of Higher Education is experiencing decreasing levels of funding per student at the postsecondary level. This is problematic because more jobs in the future will require some level of postsecondary education. Nonprofit financial aid could be used more effectively and at a greater level to assist students in their pursuit of higher education, but very little research has been conducted to examine this relationship. To study the potential impact of nonprofit financial aid, data provided by the Colorado Department of Higher Education were analyzed to determine whether or not the nonprofit aid had a significant effect on persistence rates. The results indicate that nonprofit aid is related to persistence for the second and third year of a postsecondary program, but once the nonprofit aid is no longer available, persistence rates fall. This suggests that organizations providing this type of aid should reexamine their policies for the amount and duration of the aid distribution. Suggestions for increasing the pool of nonprofit aid are also discussed. |
Report
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