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Publications and Reports

CTAC’s reports focus on cutting edge issues in education and community development. Our research and evaluation studies inform practice and guide policy decision-making at local, state and national levels.

State Action on Teacher Recruitment and Retention: Missouri Takes the Lead

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) invested more than $50 million dollars of relief funds into grants to improve educator recruitment and retention. Through the grants, DESE helped local education agencies, educator preparation programs, and community colleges across the state strengthen their existing strategies and experiment with innovative approaches for recruiting and retaining teachers.

All grant recipients participated in a four-phase evaluation process to gauge the effectiveness of the grant program. The data confirmed with 95 percent confidence that the recruitment and retention grants resulted in positive growth in Grow Your Own (GYO) program enrollment and GYO graduation. GYO programs are designed to increase the supply of new teachers into the profession by identifying students and other support staff already in the school setting who have an interest in the teaching profession. The grant evaluation data also confirmed an increase in GYO graduates ultimately being certified to teach and hired by an LEA.

Preparing Leaders for Expanded Impact: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

Considered one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide principal development initiatives, the primary purpose of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) is to develop and support effective school leaders.

CTAC, through the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, employed a mixed-methods design for this evaluation by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to address overarching research questions. The evaluation examined areas such as educators’ overall perceptions of MLDS, the extent to which MLDS supports principals to address leadership challenges, and how principals’ perceptions of MLDS differ by school CSI (Comprehensive Support and Improvement) status, community type (city, suburban, or rural), race/ethnicity, years of experience with MLDS, and RPDC (Regional Professional Development Center) region.

From 2018–19 to 2023–24, principals and superintendents believed MLDS effectively facilitates the professional growth of school leaders in Missouri. Mentors and teachers also indicated MLDS contributes to improvement in classroom instruction and student learning.

Findings from this study help the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to continue to deepen its support to an increasingly larger number of school leaders.

Marked Impact, Anticipated Refinements: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

Considered one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide principal development initiatives, the primary purpose of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) is to develop and support effective school leaders.

Through the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, CTAC employed a mixed-methods design for this evaluation by collecting both quantitative and qualitative data to address overarching research questions. The evaluation examined areas such as educators’ overall perceptions of MLDS, the extent to which MLDS supports principals to address leadership challenges, and teacher leaders’ perceptions of their principals’ participation in MLDS.

From 2018–19 to 2022–23, principals and superintendents indicated MLDS effectively develops and supports school leaders. Teacher leaders also believed their principals’ participation in MLDS positively contributes to improvement in classroom instruction and student learning.

Findings from this study support the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to further strengthen the program by making evidence-based refinements.

Pathway to Advanced Performance: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

Lauded as one of the nation’s most comprehensive statewide principal development initiatives, the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) offers professional development to every principal in the state.

This report presents learnings from the perspectives of educators across the state about the implementation of MLDS. CTAC, through the Region 12 Comprehensive Center, utilized a mixed-methods approach by collecting multiple sources of data, including surveys and interviews, and conducting artifact reviews. The analyses of the survey responses include four years of survey data (i.e., 2018–19 to 2021–22) to gauge changes in perceptions over time.

Across the four years, principals and superintendents indicated MLDS effectively develops school leaders. They also believed the program successfully addresses challenges arising from COVID-19. Classroom teachers also indicated their principals’ participation in MLDS positively affected the school and their classroom instruction.

The report presents key issues and provides recommendations to help the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education make evidence-based refinements to the program which is already reaching more than 1,200 principals.

Implementing with Fidelity and Impact: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted an evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) to support the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in learning from educators about the implementation of MLDS across the state.

For this evaluation, R12CC used a mixed-methods approach by collecting both qualitative and quantitative data, including (a) statewide surveys of MLDS principals, superintendents, and specialists; (b) survey of classroom teachers at ten schools in four districts; (c) interviews with MLDS principals, superintendents, and specialists; (d) fall 2020 participant satisfaction survey administered by DESE; and (e) a review of MLDS documents.

The evaluation focuses on MLDS implementation during the 2020–21 school year and, building on the 2019 and 2020 formative reports, gauges changes in perceptions over time. Data show that from 2018–19 to 2020–21, principals and superintendents continuously believe the program is being implemented with fidelity and effectively develops and supports school leaders. They also see a connection, through MLDS, between leadership development and student learning. The report presents key issues and provides recommendations to assist DESE in making evidence-based refinements to MLDS.

Texas Charter School Program High-Quality Replication Grant

Through funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP), the Texas Education Agency (TEA) administered a subgrant competition designed to support the replication of high-quality charter school models throughout the State of Texas. This evaluation report assesses the effectiveness and impact of the CSP High-Quality Replication grant and identifies the mechanisms and potential promising practices exhibited by subgrantees in replicating high-quality charter campuses. The information in this report is designed to contribute to future programmatic decisions and to aid TEA in identifying and disseminating best or promising practices of successful, high-quality replication charter schools and campuses while contributing to the expansion of the number of high-quality charter schools in the state.

Engaging Districts for School Progress: A Baseline Evaluation of the District Continuous Improvement Framework in Missouri

Missouri’s District Continuous Improvement (DCI) Framework integrates effective academic and behavioral practices into a framework for achieving exceptional student outcomes. Districts using the DCI Framework receive guidance, professional development, and networking opportunities which focus on building district capacity to select, implement, and evaluate evidence-based teaching practices; improve school-based coaching; and engage in data-driven decision-making.

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted an evaluation to determine the differences in the processes and outcomes for Missouri school districts using the state’s DCI Framework and those using internally-developed approaches. Based on qualitative and quantitative data analyses, findings show DCI districts view the professional development, improvement-related materials, and overall engagement with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Regional Professional Development Center staff as helpful. The report identifies issues and recommendations for refining the state’s DCI Framework to build district and school capacity.

Principal Leadership at a Challenging Time: An Evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System

The Region 12 Comprehensive Center conducted an evaluation of the Missouri Leadership Development System (MLDS) to examine the perceptions of participants and help the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education learn from educators across the state about the implementation of the program, both preceding and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary purpose of MLDS is to develop and nurture effective school leaders throughout the state. MLDS supports principals at four levels, from Aspiring (pre-certificated), to Emerging (initial career entry), to Developing (practicing), and ultimately to the Transformational Principal.

The report indicates that dominant recommendation by principals, superintendents, and specialists is to build on current program strengths and extend customized services that address emerging, pandemic-related needs. Data from both interviews and survey responses show clearly that the first year of full implementation of the program was well-received by the field, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report identifies key issues and provides recommendations for making targeted refinements to MLDS.

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