CRDG’s Program Research and Evaluation (PRE) team conducts research and evaluation for University Laboratory School, a charter school that operates in partnership with the Curriculum Research & Development Group under contract to the school’s board of directors.
The Laboratory School provides K-12 education and serves as an inventing and testing ground for the curriculum and instruction. PRE conducts annual evaluations of the school and, using existing data, conducts small ad hoc research projects. The evaluations are designed to show the extent to which the school is achieving its overall purpose of having all students be prepared for college, work and citizenship. The evaluation reports present descriptive and evaluative information about the school, with a focus on student characteristics and educational outcomes. Among other topics, research projects have focused on issues such as the extent to which gender and socio-economic status affect achievement in a school with a homogeneous curriculum serving a representative population of the state and the relationship between college acceptance test scores and high grades with college acceptance. A database of student records has been established and is regularly maintained; additional studies using the database are planned.