Center
for Educational Accountability
Director: Scott W. Snyder, PhD
Established: December 1995
Mr. Charles Collatt generously
provided initial funding for the Center for Educational Accountability in 1995
through the Mayer Electric Foundation. The
Center is funded primarily from outside sources through grants and contracts.
The mission of the Center for Educational Accountability
encompasses a number of activities. It
serves to promote the improvement of educational outcomes of students,
schools, and agencies through responsive and valid data-based decisions focused
on reform. It also publicly advocates
for and facilitates systematic data-based improvements of resources,
policies, and practices in order to support educational outcomes.
This facilitation is accomplished through: 1) determining
the effectiveness of programs designed to impact student achievement and
providing responsive data-based recommendations; 2) providing technical
assistance to programs and agencies interested in conducting systematic
internal evaluations in order to improve resources, policies, and practices
supporting educational outcomes; and 3) performing basic research on
measurement, assessment, evaluation, and dissemination methodologies that may lead
to improvements in data-based educational reform.
The Center also informs stakeholders about issues
relating to educational accountability and about resources, policies, and
practices that support educational outcomes. This is done by: 1) disseminating Center
findings that demonstrate the processes and results of data-based reform which
support educational outcomes; 2) disseminating information about research-based
policies, practices, and resource allocations that have promise for improving
educational outcomes; and 3) studying, interpreting, and reporting the impact
of state and national policies related to assessment and accountability in
education of children, youth and adults.
In addition, the Center trains emerging
professionals, policy-makers, researchers, and educators about the knowledge
and skills needed to advocate, facilitate, and inform efforts to support
educational accountability. The Center
currently has seven appointed faculty members representing the Department of
Human Studies in the
Center
Projects
The Center's projects encompass a variety of content areas
including alcohol and drug education, early childhood education, reading and
literacy, health education and promotion program planning, implementation and
evaluation, fitness education, gerontology, higher education, math and science
education, nutrition and obesity, special education, teacher training and
professional development, and technology. Center research staff members deliver a range
of services including: the statewide survey of teachers, administrators,
student teachers, cooperating teachers, and teacher educators; the development
and implementation of technical assistance for teacher education programs and
school systems; support of teacher education programs and state departments of
education to facilitate literacy education and the integration of technology;
and consultation to state and local agencies for prevention and wellness
education of youth and adults.
Center staff members use a variety of skills to complete
projects such as database design, research and evaluation design, measurement,
qualitative methods, online and scannable instrument design, statistical
analysis, program planning, and survey development.
Training
Currently, Center staff members offer professional training
on a contractual basis in the areas of assessment, program planning, and
program evaluation.
For
additional information:
Director: Scott W.
Snyder, PhD
Email: mailto: ssnyder@uab.edu
Phone: 205-934-8475
Grants Coordinator: Debrie Woods
Email: mailto:
dawoods@uab.edu
Phone: 205-975-5392
Web Site: http://www.ed.uab.edu/cea/index.htm
Approved
by: Scott W. Snyder, PhD, Director
Date: April 21, 2008
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