John Westall

Education Economist at Abt Associates

[Amy Cummings, Ph.D. @cummingsamyr]

Thank you @s_e_schwartz @educationweek for this coverage of our working paper on the effects of early literacy policies on student achievement! @EconWestall

https://t.co/umFzZ2VfS2

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

📢 ANNOUNCEMENT! EPIC is recruiting postdocs for the next academic year. We’re looking for two excellent quantitative scholars interested in working with us and our policy partners on #ReserachWithConsequence. Apply at: https://t.co/YPtDjvnjXL

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

Lots of conversation in MI about whether to get rid of the state’s Read by Grade Three early literacy law. Here @epicedpolicy, we use evidence to inform policy conversations. In a new report (https://t.co/uUjewQlA0g) we look at the students retained in 2021-22 under RBG3. More ⬇️

[John Westall @EconWestall]

@mattyglesias @Econ_Sandy @econ_jmp Comprehensive early literacy policies include support and PD for teachers, screening assessments in K-3, extra instruction and interventions, and (notably) mandatory third-grade retention for low-performing students. They have all the components here:

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

How did turnaround schools & districts fare during the second year of the pandemic?

We answer this in #Michigan in our 4th annual report on MI’s Partnership Model https://t.co/6heYcHIOeo

🧵 for highlights 👇

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

🚨.@mieducation just released ‘22 MSTEP scores. Here’s a deep dive on what this means for 3rd grade retention eligibility under the #Michigan Read by Grade Three Law: 5680 3rd graders scored low enough on the ELA MSTEP to be ret elig. -5.8% of tested pop.🧵https://t.co/oZXJIKGwm5

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Usamah Wasif to EPIC! He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of New Mexico and will be joining the team examining Michigan’s teacher workforce. @uwasif90 @KatharineStrunk

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

Did you know there is still time to complete our Read By Grade Three survey? Michigan K-5 teachers/principals, district superintendents/PSA system leaders, and literacy coaches, add your voice and earn 5 SCECHs. HURRY, the survey closes on June 17, 2022! https://t.co/NMMkEgnKI7

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

🚨Our Read by Grade 3 Survey is now live for all Michigan K-teachers/principals, district superintendents/PSA system leaders, and literacy coaches! Earn 5 SCECHS by completing this 25-min survey: https://t.co/NMMkEgFm6H

[Katharine Strunk @KatharineStrunk]

Love it when we get a twofer. ⁦@EPICedpolicy⁩ postdoc ⁦@EconWestall⁩ & phd student ⁦@cummingsamyr⁩ presenting work on early literacy laws at #AEFP2022. #ResearchWithConsequence

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

👋 We’re excited to join our colleagues at #AEFP2022 to showcase EPIC researchers' and affiliates' #ResearchWithConsequence. If you are still finalizing your schedule visit https://t.co/T4Da45wxRv to check out these great presentations! @aefpweb @KatharineStrunk

[Ethan Mollick @emollick]

Access to the internet changes the economy in ways that we couldn’t have anticipated & are hard to measure. For example, when fishermen in India gained access to cellphones, they could exchange demand info. Prices instantly stabilized and waste disappeared. Look at those graphs!

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

Are MI districts retaining 3rd graders under the state’s Read by Grade Three Law?

NEW ANALYSIS answers this question. TL;DR: Yes, though not very many. And there are disparities in the groups of students who are getting retained.

https://t.co/lQDKacQTCM See🧵for takeaways.

[EPIC @EPICedpolicy]

JUST RELEASED: Our 3rd annual report on MI’s Partnership Model. We ask: how did turnaround schools & districts fare during the pandemic?
See full report at https://t.co/GPS0qNrYAE alongside comments from @mieducation at https://t.co/ijsygX1S4O 🧵 for highlights 👇