Campbell University is one of three independent universities in the state to be awarded a grant from the North Carolina Collaboratory as part of the N.C. Research and Recovery effort.
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction 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 , the partnership will fund 20 academic research teams (which includes Campbell) to understand the effectiveness of existing state and local programs and policies that were supported through federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief legislation.
This research-practice partnership will take place over the next two years. The 19 teams of grant awardees met in December at the Department of Education in Raleigh to start a network of scholars, policy makers and school leaders. At the kickoff meeting, Dr. Jeni Corn, director of research and learning at the Department of Public Instruction, noted that this effort is the largest allocation of research dollars for education in North Carolina since Race to the Top.
“This is real research that will be actionable,” said Catherine Truitt, North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. “This joint effort will be instrumental for policymakers as we seek to address the most pressing challenges K-12 students and educators face as a result of the pandemic. More importantly, this research provides a unique opportunity for the K-12 system to harness the research power of North Carolina’s great institutions of higher education.”
Dr. Laura Lunsford, assistant dean of Psychology and Social Work and professor of psychology at Campbell University, is leading the research project, “Leading Workforce Effectiveness,” which will examine inhibiting and supporting factors related to teacher retention in North Carolina.
“We look forward to the opportunity to work with policy makers and school leaders learn more about what works to retain teachers,” Lunsford said.
Professors Kathleen Castillo-Clark and Terrie Hampton-Jones are senior researchers on the team.