Christina Weiland, faculty co-director of the Education Policy Initiative, will join colleagues from MRDC to "develop an early childhood research agenda for the Archdiocese of Boston." The project, funded by the Lynch Foundation, will help accomplish three goals, according to the Foundation's announcement:
- To understand the ins and outs of the currently available data for studying Archdiocese of Boston ECE programs, including administrative data, data collected for quality monitoring, financial data, marketing information, and enrollment data;
- To examine current ECE programming and marketing elements in terms of their alignment with the best science of ECE and with behavioral science to support levels of enrollment that can enhance schools’ financial sustainability; and
- To develop a research agenda together and make recommendations for research on Archdiocese of Boston ECE programs.
The team, which includes Meghan McCormick and Rekha Balu from MRDC, "will develop a research agenda that can identify short, mid, and long term research avenues. This includes a discovery phase to establish the research plan, prioritization of research questions, identifying 'early wins' for analysis, and longer-term, ongoing data collection strategies to support the work."
U-M has worked on multiple research projects with MRDC, which states as its goal to build and apply "evidence about changes in policy and practice that can improve the well-being of people who are economically disadvantaged."
The Lynch Foundation supports education initiatives, stating, "Education allows each person to gain power and create opportunities. Beyond the economic implications, education is an issue of basic human dignity. The ability to gain knowledge, access positive learning opportunities, and apply skills are the cornerstones of healthy human development. The Lynch Foundation believes in the access and opportunity of a quality education for all students starting at a very early age to build a strong foundation."
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