IU13 State Project Leaders Receive National Recognition for Supporting Education
The work of the IU13 State Projects and Research Team has received national recognition recently. In addition to representing the Pennsylvania Department of Education and IU13 at national stakeholder conferences, members of this talented team have been recognized for their hard work and dedication to continuous student improvement.
IU13 State Project Leaders Participate in National Forum
Kristen Lewald, Ed.D, Statewide Projects Director, and Michael Imburgia, State Director for K-12 District/School Continuous Improvement, represented the Pennsylvania Department of Education at a national event focused on utilizing data analytics to surface the impact of the pandemic, as well as leverage partnerships for recovery efforts.
Kristen and Mike joined state leaders from Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, and South Carolina in this collaborative forum. They participated in discussions facilitated by the Honorable Bob Wise, former Governor of West Virginia, the President of the Parent-Teacher Association, staff from the American Institute of Research (AIR), Hunt Institute leadership, SAS Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) leadership, and other national leaders in education.
IU13 Leaders Support Statewide Learning of District Leaders
Matt Stem (IU13 Executive Director), Dr. Kristen Lewald (IU13 Statewide Projects Director for PDE), and Michael Imburgia (IU13 State Director for PA’s System of K-12 District/School Continuous Improvement) facilitated a full day session for the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators (PASA). This session was focused on “Leading from the Central Office: Developing a Systems Approach of Essential Practices.”
They were joined by Dr. Andrew Godfrey, Assistant Superintendent of Lampeter-Strasburg School District, and Sharae Curd, Director of School Improvement at Pittsburgh Publics Schools. This session guided participants through the core conditions needed to be successful in their district practices to empower leadership, develop a focus on continuous improvement, provide student-centered support systems, and foster quality, professional learning systems.
The Work of IU13’s Research Team for PDE Receives National Recognition
Candy Miller, IU13 Research and Evaluation Manager for PDE projects, presented at the Office of Performance through Excellence (OPE) State Standard of Excellence Showcase on December 6th, 2022. Her presentation focused on the recent accomplishments of the PDE Research Agenda.
The PDE Research Agenda was one example highlighted by Results for America in their Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence. The initial Research Agenda was developed at PDE through a 2015 State Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) grant. Since 2018, the team (Candy Miller, Brian Hutchison, Megan McGinley, Rhonda Johnson, and Rosemary Riccardo) has worked to conduct research that addresses priority questions from the Research Agenda.
The Invest in What Works State Standard of Excellence is a national benchmark for how states build and use evidence to achieve better outcomes. Pennsylvania was one of eight states to earn national recognition and the highest designation of being a “lead state” through the 2022 Results for America State Standards of Excellence initiative for its use of data and evidence to improve results for residents (Learn more at: Results for America Announcement: Home – 2022 State Standard of Excellence | Results for America (results4america.org)).
The IU13 Statewide Projects Team offers training, technical assistance, and consultation to school districts in Pennsylvania in support of the Pennsylvania Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Plan and Pennsylvania Value Added Assessment System. The team supports the lowest-performing schools (as designated by ESSA) with Comprehensive Planning and School Improvement, PA Value-Added Assessment System (PVAAS), Classroom Diagnostic Tools (CDTs), PA Core Standards, Keystone Exams and Project-Based Assessments, and Educator Effectiveness & Student Learning Objectives (SLOs). Services are available to individual schools or entire districts within Pennsylvania.
For more information, please call 717-606-1764 or email State Initiatives.