Skip to main content

The purpose of the Office of Learning Research (OLR) is to identify and evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of programs, activities, initiatives, procedures, and any other factors related to elementary and secondary education in the State by:

  • Engaging critical education stakeholders to identify the most pressing policy priorities for the State’s K12 public school system;
  • Building a network of NC-based researchers with expertise in elementary and secondary education and the State’s K12 ecosystem;
  • Administering OLR grants for research projects for studies on the most pressing K12 education policy priorities;
  • Sharing relevant and timely results from funded studies back to state and local policymakers; and,
  • Maintaining strong relationships between the Collaboratory leadership team and key education stakeholders across academic, government, community, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors.

Background

The office was created in December 2024 with the passage of S.L. 2024-57, SECTION 2A.8.(a-e) to provide information and support needed by elementary and secondary public schools, university leaders, and elected officials to make evidence-based decisions; collaborate with constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina and other stakeholders to implement innovative policies and programs to accelerate learning for all students; work with external research resources and partners to evaluate local, State, and federal programs to establish metrics and assess return on investment; and support the operations of OLR.

Program Benefits

To serve elected officials, state and local education leaders, and other stakeholders by providing the information and support needed to make evidence-based decisions, including:

  • To successfully implement innovative policies and programs to accelerate learning for all NC students;
  • To maintain the highest levels of research integrity and protect student data confidentiality; and
  • To leverage NC-based research resources and partners to evaluate local, state, and federal programs to assess their return on investment.

Contact

Contact, Jeni Corn, Director of Impact Evaluation and Strategy, at jeni_corn@unc.edu. Jeni has extensive experience conducting research in school settings and providing technical assistance to school, district, and state-level education staff focused on research, evaluation, and policy in the Southeast.

COVID-19’s Impact on Student Learning in NC

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and North Carolina Collaboratory are leading a joint $6.73 million effort to spur research on the impact of COVID-19 on student learning in the state, with the goal of helping educators and students recover from pandemic-related disruptions and lost instructional time.

Based on priorities identified by NCDPI’s Office of Learning Recovery and Acceleration (OLR), the partnership will fund 20 academic research teams across North Carolina to understand the effectiveness of existing state and local programs and policies that were supported through federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) legislation.

Projects Funded Focusing on Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Students, Schools
Project Title – Project Summary
(Project overview is linked from project title)
Principal Investigator, Institution
(Subawards)
NCDPI Focus Area Award Amount
Enrollment of Nontraditional Culturally and Linguistically Undergraduates for Diversity and Equity at Historically-Minority Serving institutions in School Mental Health ProfessionsDeveloping an empirically based pathway for college juniors from historically minority serving institutions in the UNC System to receive mentorship and preparation for acceptance into a school psychology program. Isaac Woods at NCSU Office of Exceptional Children $119,185
Effective World Language Teaching Strategies: Lessons from a Global PandemicWorking with 9 school districts and NC Virtual to determine effective practices that emerged from the collaboration between NCDPI and NC Virtual Language educators, with the goal of providing districts and teachers with data on effective online teaching strategies to recover from and mitigate further learning loss. Scott Kissau, Kristin Davin at UNCC Office of Academic Standards; Digital Teaching and Learning $148,492
Assessing the Impact of COVID on the Applications to and Enrollment in UNC System InstitutionsInvestigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first-time undergraduate enrollment in postsecondary institutions in NC to examine the extent to which college enrollment decisions are associated with individual and familial factors, school experiences, as well as experiences with college admission, and how such associations vary as a function of the timing of COVID-related experiences. Yudan Wang, Maylee Vazquez, Shirlene Coopwood at
NCA&TSU
(Subawards: UNC-Chapel Hill, UNCG, UNCC, WSSU, Guilford College)
Advanced Learning & Gifted Education $148,833
Leading Workforce Effectiveness: Inhibiting and Supporting FactorsIdentifying the supporting and inhibiting factors influencing teacher retention in the five LEAs with the highest and the lowest teacher attrition in North Carolina (10 total) Laura Lunsford, Terrie Hampton-Jones, Kathleen Castillo-Clark at Campbell University Office of Licensure and Educator Preparation $149,717
The Impact of COVID on North Carolina Students’ Postsecondary TrajectoriesExploring postsecondary experiences of high school students graduating in 2020 and 2021, including enrollment patterns, selection of majors, performance in college classes, and completion of FAFSA for all students in the state. Julie Edmunds, Dora Gicheva at UNCG Advanced Learning & Gifted Education $149,973
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Patterns of Post-Secondary Enrollment in NCProducing a description of the changes in pathways to college or secondary education for all NC high school students to help the UNC System, NC DPI and other state and local leaders target research-driven policies and resources to students. Daniel Klasik, Matthew Springer, Steven Hemelt, Sarah Fuller at
UNC-Chapel Hill
Advanced Learning & Gifted Education $227,677
Factors Driving School Choice in North Carolina During the COVID-19 PandemicAnalyzing statewide changes in characteristics of applicants and families’ motivations for leaving the public school system during the pandemic system via the NC Opportunity Scholarship Program in partnership with NC State Education Assistance Authority. Anna Egalite at
NCSU
(Subawards: Texas A&M, University of Missouri)
Office of Innovation $244,542
Teacher Attrition, Health and Well-Being: Exploring the mismatch between teacher preparation (and teacher expectations) and district realities in the midst of Covid-19In partnership with NC Independent Colleges and Universities (NCICU), this study will focus on exploring how the pandemic has impacted the educator workforce and determining which interventions – such as Educator Preparedness Programs – are helping districts retain existing teachers and recruit new hires. Lorrie Schmid, Kristen Stephens, T. Scott Holcomb, Jessica Sperling, Jan Riggsbee at
Duke University
(Subawards: NCICU, Lenoir Rhyne University)
Office of Licensure and Educator Preparation, NCDPI $249,450
Mitigating Educator Workforce Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic Through CoachingIdentifying teacher coaching practices that support teacher retention and mitigate negative impacts of the pandemic in partnership with the NC New Teacher Support Program. Anne Cash, Kyle Cox, Jae Hoon Lim at UNCC (Subawards: NCSU) Office of Licensure and Educator Preparation $249,624
Preventing Teacher Burnout: Supporting Teachers to Help Students (And Teachers) Thrive During the Pandemic and BeyondInforming interventions and supports that can protect educators during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic and help workforce recovery. Focusing particularly on retention of highly qualified educators and effects on teacher working conditions, we will examine the effect of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and support staff (counselors, social workers, psychologists, and nurses) on the educator workforce. Jane Fruehwirth, Shauna Cooper at
UNC-Chapel Hill; Camille Goins at UNC Pembroke (Subawards: Project AWARE evaluator)
Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems; Office of Licensure and Educator Preparation $249,838
Strategies and Innovations for Multilingual Learner SuccessExploring strategies and innovations that contribute to multilingual learners’ academic achievement to inform multilingual learner-focused policies across North Carolina. Ye He,
UNCG
Office of Academic Standards $249,924
Keeping Students Safe in the Digital World: Examining Monitoring Technologies Used by K-12 Schools During the PandemicExamining the effectiveness and impact of software applications to monitor student internet activity in NC districts and charter schools, with the goal of protecting young children from related threats. Florence Martin, Callie Edwards, Rebekah Davis at NCSU; Sejal Foxx, Chao Wang at UNCC Digital Teaching and Learning $297,953
Implementation and Impact Evaluation of ESSER III funded supports for educators in North Carolina’s recurring low-performing schools and districtsProviding a deeper understanding of implementation decisions, challenges, and impacts of ESSER III funded supports to recurring low-performing schools and districts, including hiring district and school leadership coaches and providing professional development for teachers. Julie Marks at
UNC-Chapel Hill
(Subawards: NCCU)
Office of District & Regional Support $499,232
EC Collaboratory: Collaborating with School Partners to Identify Evidence-based Practices for Learners with Extensive Support Needs during School ClosuresAddressing academic learning needs for students with extensive support needs (significant cognitive disabilities) by studying the effect of a Unique Learning System and the provision of coaching to special educators in Hyde, Jones, Wayne, Duplin, Greene county schools. Melissa Hudson, Sandra Warren, Tosha Owens, Kristen Burnette at
ECU
Office of Exceptional Children $499,668
A Comprehensive Evaluation of North Carolina’s Supplemental Salary FundExamining how PSUs statewide used strategic compensation funds received through SB 105 as part of NC’s response to the pandemic, and determining effects on student outcomes and educator turnover, mobility, and quality. Matthew Springer at UNC-Chapel Hill; Lam Pham at NCSU Finance and Business Services, Federal Programs $499,870
High Dosage Tutoring to Support Pandemic Learning Recovery and School Improvement in Union CountyImplementing and evaluating high dosage tutoring to address pandemic learning loss in a year-long math program for 4th graders in Union County. Douglas Lauen, Helen Rose Miesner, Eric Houck at UNC-Chapel Hill Office of Innovation $499,936
Mitigating COVID-19 Impact: Implementing Community School Framework in Rural SchoolsOver the two year period, ECU Rural Education Institute (REI) will engage in a research-practice partnership with Elizabeth City Pasquotank Public Schools to closely examine the Community School framework in rural settings, intentionally plan implementation of the framework in selected school(s)and engage in evaluative activities to determine impact of initial implementation on the critical outcomes of student learning, school engagement, and community involvement. Amy Swain, Kristen Cuthrell, Jerry Johnson at ECU Office of Innovation $499,989
Project READS NC (Reading Evaluation Across Diverse Stakeholders in North Carolina)Understanding the impact of LETRS training on teacher and administrator knowledge of effective literacy instruction and implementation of LETRS instructional practices in North Carolina schools. Paola Pilonieta, Alicia Stewart, Erin Washburn, Michael Putman at UNCC
(Subawards: UNC-Chapel Hill)
Office of Early Learning $500,000
Fayetteville State University (UNCFSU) Bronco Expansion Enrichment programImplement and study new enrichment program at Walker Spivey Elementary School to support parents and teachers and foster student academic success while promoting social and emotional learning in partnership with Cumberland County Schools. Tanya Hudson, Chandrika Johnson, Jocelyn Smith-Gray, Jesse Baker at FSU Integrated Academic and Behavior Systems $500,000
Pandemic Priorities: An Analysis of ESSER Budgeting Across North Carolina – This Project will support the Collaboratory’s goal of monitoring, assessing, and addressing the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19, as mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly (“NCGA”) in Section 8.12 of Session Law 2021-180, as amended by Section 2.4 of Session Law 2021-189. Ethan Hutt, Matthew Springer, Thad Domina at UNC-Chapel Hill Finance and Business Services, Federal Programs $754,925