CALDER Webinar: The Four-Day School Week: New Evidence for District Leaders and Policymakers Featuring Emily Morton and Andrew Camp Wednesday, April 22 at 1:00 ET

📢 Happening TOMORROW!

Do four-day school weeks deliver on their anticipated benefits?

Join Emily Morton & @andrewmcamp.com for a deep dive into the realities of 4DSW implementation and its effects on teacher recruitment and retention.

Register ➡️ bit.ly/4rNbwP3

CALDER Webinar: The Four-Day School Week: New Evidence for District Leaders and Policymakers Featuring Emily Morton and Andrew Camp Wednesday, April 22 at 1:00 ET

📢 Just TWO days away!

Join Emily Morton and @andrewmcamp.com this Wednesday, April 22 @ 1 PM ET for a webinar exploring the latest research on four‑day school weeks—what the evidence shows and how it can inform district decision‑making.

Register ➡️ bit.ly/4rNbwP3

CALDER Webinar: The Four-Day School Week: New Evidence for District Leaders and Policymakers Featuring Emily Morton and Andrew Camp

📢 Just one week away!

Join Emily Morton and @andrewmcamp.com next Wednesday, April 22 @ 1 PM ET for a webinar exploring the latest research on four‑day school weeks—what the evidence shows and how it can inform district decision‑making.

Register: bit.ly/4rNbwP3

CALDER Webinar: The Four-Day School Week: New Evidence for District Leaders and Policymakers Featuring Emily Morton and Andrew Camp

📢 Webinar alert: What does the evidence really say about four‑day school weeks?

Join Emily Morton & @andrewmcamp.com next Wednesday, April 22, for a deep dive into the realities of four‑day school week implementation and its effects on teacher recruitment and retention.

Register: bit.ly/4rNbwP3

CALDER Webinar: The Four-Day School Week: New Evidence for District Leaders and Policymakers Featuring Emily Morton and Andrew Camp

Four‑day school weeks are gaining traction—but do they deliver on their promises? Hear new findings from @nwea.bsky.social's Emily Morton & @annenberginstitute.bsky.social's @andrewmcamp.com on April 22 at 1 PM ET.

Register: bit.ly/4rNbwP3

Two teachers engaged in conversation at an orange table, one holding a smartphone. The setting appears to be a modern office or conference area with bright lighting. The person facing towards the viewer is wearing glasses and a patterned yellow shirt, while the other has long dark hair tied back.

ICYMI: A new @caldercenter.bsky.social and NCTQ brief shows how states can use better data to improve student teaching experiences and prepare teachers for classroom success.

🔗 caldercenter.org/publications/lessons-sta...

CALDER Webinar: The Four-Day School Week: New Evidence for District Leaders and Policymakers Featuring Emily Morton and Andrew Camp

📢 Save the date: April 22 @ 1 PM ET

Join Emily Morton and @andrewmcamp.com for a webinar exploring the latest research on four‑day school weeks—what the evidence shows and how it can inform district decision‑making.

Register: bit.ly/4rNbwP3

Teacher hiring seems to me like an area with low-hanging fruit (for improvement in teacher quality)!

🎙️In part 3 of NASDTEC's series on teacher hiring, CALDER's @cedr.bsky.social shares research from Spokane Public Schools showing how districts can improve teacher hiring with streamlined professional reference ratings.

Listen here: nasdtec.podbean.com/e/wgo-with-t...

First, Do No Harm. But Can We Do Better? An Evaluation of a Statewide Developmental Education Reform Zeyu Xu & Ben Backes CALDER Working Paper No. 337-0326 March 2026 Abstract Research shows that the corequisite developmental education (DE) model outperforms the prerequisite model, largely by mitigating the negative effects of prerequisites on student outcomes. While this is an important first step, evidence is limited on whether corequisite DE has added value when compared to not requiring DE and, in math, whether the corequisite “effect” is in fact driven by pathway reforms that have typically accompanied the transition toward corequisite DE. We use data from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to describe a complex set of support options available to students depending on their academic readiness levels and chosen math pathways and, using a regression discontinuity approach, estimate the effects of having such support on first-year college outcomes. For students with very low initial skills in math and English, requiring a prerequisite course in addition to corequisites produces null or negative effects compared to corequisite DE alone. However, students with very low math skills benefit from taking corequisite non-college algebra courses, and students with relatively high initial English skills benefit from corequisite English. The corequisite benefits in math are concentrated among female students who took advantage of the pathway reforms to take and pass non-college algebra math courses, while the English benefits are more pronounced among male and part-time students.

The shift from the prerequisite to the corequisite developmental education model has been a success. But is it about avoiding harmful prerequisites or the effectiveness of the coreq model? A new CALDER paper by @zeyuxu.bsky.social & @brbackes.bsky.social uses KY data to investigate.
🔗 bit.ly/41f5ko7

CALDER RESEARCH AT 2026 AEFP Thursday 3/19 8:15 - 9:45 AM Presenting Authors: Cory Koedel & Roddy Theobald 1.02 The Impacts of School Leaders 8:15 - 9:45 AM Presenting Author: Preeya Mbekeani 2.02 Teacher Certifications and Alternative Pathways 1:30 - 3:00 PM Presenting Author: Allison Gilmour 3.06 Special Education Teacher Workforce Friday 3/20 8:15 - 9:45 AM Presenting Author: Zeyu Xu 5.13 Investigating Developmental Education Reforms 2:45 - 4:15 PM Presenting Author: John Krieg 8.02 Work, Family, and Economic Mobility in the Teacher Workforce 2:45 - 4:15 PM Presenting Author: Elise Dizon-Ross 8.08 STEM and CTE Teaching: Workforce Dynamics and Effects on Learning Saturday 3/21 10:00 - 11:30 AM Presenting Author: Ben Backes 10.02 Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence Across Contexts and Outcomes

Heading to Chicago for #AEFP2026 this week? Don't miss these panels featuring CALDER research from Cory Koedel, @roddy-theobald.bsky.social, Preeya Mbekeani, @afgilmour.bsky.social, @zeyuxu.bsky.social, John Krieg, @edizonross.bsky.social, & @brbackes.bsky.social!

Answering key questions about clinical practice starts with better data. A new CALDER & @nctq.bsky.social brief offers a clear framework and lessons from six states on how to build and use clinical practice data systems.

Read ➡️ caldercenter.org/publications...

The @caldercenter.bsky.social Conference is Monday 3/2 in Arlington, VA. SPARC's @roddy-theobald.bsky.social will present new findings on #SpecialEducation teacher retention from work with @lizbettini.bsky.social, @afgilmour.bsky.social, & LaRon Scott.

Register: caldercenter.org/events/17th-...

9:15 a.m.—10:45 a.m. SESSION I: Evidence on Teacher Working Conditions: Daily Realities, Leadership, and Labor Action To Make Teaching Sustainable, Help Teachers Balance Work and Personal Demands: Findings from the 2025 State of the American Teacher Survey Presenter: Elizabeth Steiner, RAND/CALDER R&R Principal Effects on Teacher Working Conditions Presenter: Cory Koedel, University of Missouri/CALDER R&R The Effect of Teacher Strikes on Compensation, Working Conditions, and Productivity Presenter: Melissa Arnold Lyon, University at Albany, SUNY/CALDER R&R Discussant: Marla Ucelli-Kashyap, Senior Director for Educational Issues, American Federation of Teachers

And join us on Monday, March 2nd for #CALDER2026, where we'll have a presentation on this study along with more evidence on teacher working conditions from
@elizabeth-steiner.bsky.social & @mimiarnoldlyon.bsky.social (with comments from @marlau-k.bsky.social!).

Register ➡️ bit.ly/3ZSd5Qw (2/2)

Principal Effects on Teacher Working Conditions Ataur Rahaman & Cory Koedel CALDER Working Paper No. 335-0226 February 2026 Abstract: Research on school principals highlights their role in shaping teachers’ work environments, but most evidence is qualitative or correlational. We provide plausibly causal estimates of how principals affect a broad swath of teacher working conditions using data from Illinois, where the State Board of Education collects detailed and comprehensive information annually on teacher working conditions in nearly all schools. We estimate the variance of principal effects by comparing correlations in working conditions over time in schools that do and do not experience principal changes. Under reasonable stationarity assumptions, the difference in the correlations can be used to back out the variance of principal effects. Unsurprisingly, we find principals have large effects on working conditions related to leadership directly. They also influence teachers’ professional work environments and their interactions with students and families, though their effects on these broader indicators are much smaller, particularly the latter.

What do we know about the impact of principals on teachers' working conditions? New CALDER paper from Ataur Rahaman & Cory Koedel uses data from IL to explore this relationship. 🔗https://bit.ly/4kQRpxC (1/2)

NEW CALDER WEBPAGE Visit to learn about the CALDER Recruitment and Retention Center

📢 Want to learn about new research on teacher recruitment & retention? Visit our new webpage for the IES funded CALDER Recruitment & Retention Center!🔗 bit.ly/4aJ8FQH

And join us for #CALDER2026 next Monday 3/2, where we'll be presenting multiple studies from this work.
Register:🔗 bit.ly/3ZSd5Qw

OK, I told you so, and here's the first freshie: caldercenter.org/publications...

Am I going to tell you about it? Nope, you'll just have to join me next week at the Crossroad, i.e., the @caldercenter.bsky.social Conference.

Registration link here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Roundtable discussion flyer for "What's Next? Education Research and Policy at a Crossroads" at Calder Conference 2026 on Monday, March 2. Speakers: Amber Northern, Cara Jackson, Nat Malkus. Moderator: Dan Goldhaber. Logos of Calder Center and AIR at the bottom.

Don’t miss the 17th Annual @caldercenter.bsky.social Conference on 3/2 in Arlington, featuring research on teacher working conditions, retention, and a forward‑looking panel on the future of education research and policy.

Register: caldercenter.org/events/17th-annual-calde...

Lots of SUPER FRESH @caldercenter.bsky.social papers are going to get posted this week before the March 2nd CALDER Conference. You can read them here: caldercenter.org/publications.

Or, you can come to the conference to hear about them & ask questions in person: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

17th Annual CALDER Research Conference March 2, 2026 8:30 AM - 3:45 PM ET Arlington, VA Register at caldercenter.org

📢 #CALDER2026 is less than TWO weeks away!

Join us on Monday 3/2 in Arlington, VA for a one-day conference featuring research from CALDER experts & discussion between researchers, policymakers & practitioners.

Register ➡️ caldercenter.org/events/17th-...
@cedr.bsky.social @airinforms.bsky.social

While the difference between a five-day school week & a four-day school week calendar seems straightforward, in practice, it can be unclear how different they actually are. New CALDER brief by Emily Morton & Jamie Klinenberg uses TX data to unpack variation in school schedules.

Read 👉 bit.ly/46N5KW3

Attend the upcoming #CALDER2026 conference to catch a session by SPARC Center Director @roddy-theobald.bsky.social on Evidence on What Makes Teachers Stay: Schedules, Salaries, and School Leaders! 💡

All of your questions will be answered!

In all seriousness, if you have questions for these folks, please reply to this post and ask them (I'll try to get them in).

:15 p.m.—3:45 p.m. Roundtable Discussion: What’s Next? Education Research and Policy at a Crossroads Panelists Amber Northern, Senior Advisor, Office of the Secretary, US Department of Education Cara Jackson, Research Manager, The Center for Outcomes Based Contracting (OBC) at Southern Education Foundation Nat Malkus, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, Education Policy Studies, AEI Moderator: Dan Goldhaber, CALDER/AIR

We're at a crossroads—what's next for education policy and research?

Join us at #CALDER2026 on March 2 for a roundtable discussion with @carajackson.bsky.social, Nat Malkus (AEI), Amber Northern (U.S. Department of Education), and @cedr.bsky.social.

Register 👉 caldercenter.org/events/17th-...

Just saw @gzamarro.bsky.social give a preview of this work and can confidently say that if you're interested in teacher retention and/or compensation - YOU WILL WANT TO BE THERE.

Just a couple weeks away. Register soon!

OK, so space really is filling up (which means that my anxiety scale about holding a conference for an empty room is not too high now), so sign up before it's too late!

12:45 p.m.—2:15 p.m. SESSION III: Who Becomes a Teacher? Selection Across the Preparation and Hiring Pipelines The Beginning of the Teacher Pipeline: Which College Students Apply to Teacher Education Programs? Presenter: John Krieg, Western Washington University Method or Measure? Investigating the Teacher Learning Curve Across Multiple Student Outcomes Presenter: Ben Backes, CALDER/AIR School System Selection Processes and Workforce Composition Presenter: Dan Goldhaber, CALDER/AIR Discussant: Sara Delano, Dean, School of Education, Dallas College

What factors determine who becomes a teacher?

Join us at the 2026 CALDER Conference on March 2 to dig into teacher preparation and hiring pipelines with John Krieg (WWU),
@brbackes.bsky.social, @cedr.bsky.social, and Sara DeLano (Dallas College).

Register now 👉 caldercenter.org/events/17th-...

Excited to share new results on the effects of AR LEARNS salary raises on teacher turnover during the first 3 years of implementation 👇

10:45 a.m.—12:15 p.m. SESSION II: Evidence on What Makes Teachers Stay: Schedules, Salaries, and School Leaders Teacher Retention and the Four-Day School Week Presenter: Andrew Camp, Annenberg Institute at Brown University Teacher Salary Raises and Teacher Turnover: Evidence from the Arkansas LEARNS Act Presenter: Gema Zamarro, University of Arkansas/CALDER R&R Principals’ Special Education Experience and Special Education Teacher Retention Presenter: Roddy Theobald, CALDER/AIR Discussant: Mark Olofson, Executive Director of Education Data, Research, and Strategy, Texas Education Agency

What makes teachers stay? Join us at the 2026 CALDER Conference on March 2 to dig into teacher retention with @andrewmcamp.com, @gzamarro.bsky.social, @roddy-theobald.bsky.social, and the Texas Education Agency's Mark Olofson.

Register now 👉 caldercenter.org/events/17th-...

9:15 a.m.—10:45 a.m. SESSION I: Evidence on Teacher Working Conditions: Daily Realities, Leadership, and Labor Action To Make Teaching Sustainable, Help Teachers Balance Work and Personal Demands: Findings from the 2025 State of the American Teacher Survey Presenter: Elizabeth Steiner, RAND/CALDER R&R Principal Effects on Teacher Working Conditions Presenter: Cory Koedel, University of Missouri/CALDER R&R The Effect of Teacher Strikes on Compensation, Working Conditions, and Productivity Presenter: Melissa Arnold Lyon, University at Albany, SUNY/CALDER R&R Discussant: Marla Ucelli-Kashyap, Senior Director for Educational Issues, American Federation of Teachers

How do daily realities, leadership, and labor actions shape teacher working conditions?

Join us at #CALDER2026 on March 2 to dig into the evidence with @elizabeth-steiner.bsky.social, Cory Koedel, @mimiarnoldlyon.bsky.social, and @marlau-k.bsky.social.

Register 👉 caldercenter.org/events/17th-...