IMPACT study scuttled by differences over method
Plans for Harvard economist Roland Fryer to conduct an independent study of the IMPACT evaluation system are off, scuttled by DCPS’ reluctance to employ what he called “the gold standard in empirical research.”
DCPS said it will work with the Washington Teachers’ Union to find a replacement for Fryer, founder and director of Harvard’s Education Innovation Laboratory (EdLabs). The selection of a researcher to study IMPACT’s effectiveness, and to make recommendations for improvements, was included as a side letter to the 2010 collective bargaining agreement. Many teachers have said that IMPACT’s criteria disadvantage instructors who work in high-poverty schools with challenging student populations. Very few teachers judged “highly effective” under IMPACT work in schools in Wards 7 or 8.
The project was a sticky issue from the beginning. The selection of an
