College of Education and Human Development

Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement

Discovery. Insight. Perspective.

CAREI Resources

For more than 35 years, CAREI has been a leader in applied research and educational improvement. Our teams maximize wellbeing in schools, families, and communities through equitable and actionable research, evaluation, and resource development. Explore current and archival resources, research, and reports below.

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Flagship reports

Minnesota Principals Survey

Generously funded by the Minneapolis Foundation and the Joyce Foundation, the goal of the Minnesota Principals Survey (MnPS) is to elevate principal voices. Explore the most recent results, report, and key findings from the 2023 MnPS.

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A teacher smiling at a student while reading a book

Minnesota READ Act Curriculum Review Series

This curriculum review series aims to empower districts to make informed decisions selecting a high-quality reading curriculum that is ideal for their learners, educators, and community. 

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A teacher explaining a model volcano to three young students

Evaluating student learning: Beyond the Basics

This project aimed to unearth promising practices in the evaluation of student learning: practices that more thoroughly reflect the breadth and specificity of learning outcomes that our society expects from schools, and that students want for themselves.

Read Beyond the Basics Report Explore our companion guide

CAREI reports and resources

2015-current

Project Intersect: Year Two Evaluation Report (Cloquet Public Schools & Fond Du Lac Ojibwe School) (2020)

Trends, transitions, and subgroup differences on the pathway to a family-sustaining hourly wage for Minnesota students (2020)

An Evaluation of the Cultural Contextualization of the Incredible Years Parenting Program for African American and Hmong Cultural Groups (2016)

Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures Canoemobile 2016: Evaluation Brief (2016)

The Association Between Elementary School Start Time and Students’ Academic Achievement in Wayzata Public Schools (2015)

Interim Evaluation Report: Minnesota State Teacher Development, Evaluation and Peer Support Model Pilot (2015)

Transforming Education through the Arts and Media (TEAM): Final Evaluation Report (2015)

Final Evaluation Report: Minnesota State Teacher Development, Evaluation, and Peer Support Model (2015)

Therapist working with a student using a tablet

New in 2025: Supporting school mental health systems in Minnesota

This brief provides a current snapshot of Minnesota’s school mental health systems serving students, and offers recommendations for strengthening related policies and processes.

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CAREI report and resource archives

2005-2009

Project for Academic Excellence Evaluation Report (2005)

Bloomington/Richfield Early Reading First: Get Ready Centers of Excellence (Year 1 Report) (2005)

Project for Academic Excellence: Overview of the Comprehensive Reform Model (2005)

Implementation of the Quality Compensation program (Q Comp): A Formative Evaluation (2006)

Neighborhood Bridges Program Evaluation Report 1 (2006)

Neighborhood Bridges Program Evaluation Report 2 (2006)

Connected Counseling Saint Paul Public Schools: Arlington High School Report (2006)

Connected Counseling Saint Paul Public Schools: Como High School Report (2006)

Connected Counseling Saint Paul Public Schools: Harding High School Report (2006)

Connected Counseling Saint Paul Public Schools: Highland Park High School Report (2006)

Connected Counseling Saint Paul Public Schools: Humboldt High School Report (2006)

Connected Counseling Saint Paul Public Schools: Johnson High School Report (2006)

Elements of an Engaged University: Minnesota Youth Community Learning (MYCL) Initiative of the Konopka Institute for Best Practices in Adolescent Health at the University of Minnesota (Final Evaluation Report) (2007)

Framework and Methodology for The Exemplary Technology-Supported-Schooling Case Studies Project (2007)

It’s OK to be Stupid: Contributions Professional Community Makes to Exemplary Technology Use (2007)

Sustainability and Transferability of Instructional Reforms (2007)

Anoka-Hennepin Compensatory Education Pilot Program Year 1 Report (2007)

Bloomington/Richfield Early Reading First: Get Ready Centers of Excellence (Year 2 Report) (2007)

Creating Connected Counseling: Initiative to Restructure High School Counseling and Guidance Services to Raise the High School Completion Rates of All Students (2007)

Arts for Academic Achievement: A Compilation of Evaluation Findings from 2004-2006 (2007)

Neighborhood Bridges Program Evaluation Report 3 (2007)

District 191 All-Day Kindergarten Program Longitudinal Findings 2003-2006 (2007)

An Evaluation of the Transitional Language Center Program in the Saint Paul Public Schools: Final Report (2007)

Neighborhood Bridges Program Evaluation Report 4 (2007)

Arts for Academic Achievement: Perspectives of Long-Term Teachers and Principals (2007)

Neighborhood Bridges Program Evaluation Report 5 (2007)

Arts for Academic Achievement: A Brief Review of Research on Readers’ Theatre and Tableau in Literacy Instruction (2007)

Five-Year Academic Outcomes for a Cohort of All-Day Kindergarten: What Policies Should Follow? (2008)

Looking More Deeply: Fidelity of Implementation as a Critical Component in Evaluating Intervention Impacts (2008)

Laptop Initiative Evaluation Report (2008)

Arts for Academic Achievement Evaluation Report (2009)

Arts for Academic Achievement: Integrating Tableau Evaluation Report (2009)

Burnsville All-Day Kindergarten Year 4 Summary of Results (2009)

Burnsville All-Day Kindergarten Year 4 Summary of Results (2009)

Arts for Academic Achievement: Long-Term Artists’ Perspectives (2009)

Minneapolis Public Schools North Side Initiative: Year Two External Evaluation Report (2009)

Anoka-Hennepin Compensatory Education Pilot Program, Year 4 Report (2009)

2010-2014

The Minnesota Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Project: Impact Report 2010 (2010)

Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures Evaluation (2010)

Learning from Leadership Project: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning (Executive Summary of Research Findings) (2010)

Minnesota Principals Academy Evaluation Report (2010)

Critical Literacy in Neighborhood Bridges: An Exploratory Study (2010)

Minnesota Science Teachers Education Project (MnSTEP) (2010)

Evaluation of Youth Frontiers, 2009-2010 (2010)

Math Readiness of Incoming Students at Normandale Community College (2010)

Arts for Academic Achievement Developing Readers Project (2010)

Making the Body Visible through Dramatic/Creative Play: Critical Literacy in Neighborhood Bridges (2010)

Minneapolis Public Schools Small Learning Communities: Final Evaluation Report (2010)

Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM: Minnesota Mandarin Immersion Collaborative Year 2 (2011)

The Minnesota Children, Youth, and Families at Risk Project: Impact Report 2011 (2011)

Building Community-University Partnerships: Learnings from Practice for Institutions and Individuals Engaged in Urban and Other Partnerships (2011)

Project AIM 2009-2010 Evaluation Report (2011)

Review of Literature on Grade Configuration and School Transitions (2011)

Minneapolis Public Schools Observational Drawing Evaluation Report (2011)

Project for Academic Excellence: Building Capacity and Going to Scale (2011)

Neighborhood Bridges: 2010-2011 Evaluation Report (2011)

Evaluation of Youth Frontiers, 2010-2011 (2011)

An Evaluation of the Partners for Success Program for the School Year 2010-2011 (2011)

FACETS: Focus on Arts, Culture and Excellence for Teachers and Students (2011)

Urban Wilderness Canoe Adventures Evaluation: 2012 (2012)

Staying Power: Assessing the Impact of the be@school Program on Student Attendance Behavior (Evaluation Report) (2012)

An Evaluation of Project SUCCESS Programming (2012)

Global Literacy Through Mandarin Immersion and STEM: Year Three Evaluation Report (2011-2012) (2012)

Staying Power: Assessing the Impact of the be@school Program on Student Attendance Behavior (Conference Paper) (2012)

Examining the Impact of Later High School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study (2012)

1994-1999

Homework Research and Policy: A Review of the Literature (1994)

Report Study of the Four-Period Schedule for Anoka-Hennepin District No.11 (1995)

Collaborative Initiatives to Develop Integrated Services for Children and Families: A Review of the Literature (1996)

St. Paul Public Schools Extended Learning Programs: Evaluation Report (1997) (1997)

School Start Time Report: Minneapolis Schools Year 1 (1997)

Scope, Sequence & Coordination: 10th Grade Science (Evaluation Report) (1997)

Traditional Native Culture and Resilience (1997)

Scope, Sequence & Coordination: 9th and 10th Grade Science (Synthesis) (1997)

Schools Start Time Study Technical Report, Volume 2: Analysis of Student Survey Data (1998)

1997-98 Extended Learning and Year-Round Programs in Six Districts: An Overview (1998)

Preparing a Community Progress Report (1998)

1995-97 Extended Learning and Year-Round Programs: An Overview (1998)

Extended Learning and Year-Round Programs in Six Districts: An Overview (1998)

Minnesota Charter Schools Evaluation, Final Report (1998)

Block Scheduling: Structure and Professional Community Matter (1998)

Minneapolis Public Schools Start Time Study Executive Summary 1998 (1998)

Supporting Standards-Based Teaching and Learning in Mathematics and Science: Lessons from the Minnesota TIMSS Data (1999)

Technology in the Mathematics Classroom: Helping Students Make Connections (1999)

Achieving the Science Standards: A National Study of Inquiry-Based Instruction in High School Science (1999)

Museums: They’re Not Just for Field Trips Anymore (1999)

Toward Authentic Assessment AND Instruction: A Framework for Educators (1999)

Evaluating the Long Term Effect of Teacher Enhancement (1999)

Professional Development for Authentic Pedagogy in the Social Studies: An Evaluation (1999)

 

 

 

2000-2004

 Arts for Academic Achievement: Case Study Cross-Case Analysis (2000)

 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Pathways to Progress Project, Saint Paul Public Schools (2001)

Charting a New Course: A Study of the Adoption and Implementation of Standards-Based Mathematics Curricula in Eight Minnesota School Districts: Final Report on Sci MathMN (Fall 2001) (2001)

Evaluating the Long Term Effects of Teacher Enhancement: Final Report (2001) (2001)

Use of Continuous Improvement and Evaluation in After-School Programs (2001)

Blocking the School Schedule: Potential for Instructional Change (2001)

Seven Topics in Education: A Review of the Literature for School District 112 (2001)

Arts for Academic Achievement: Arts Integration – A Vehicle for Changing Teacher Practice (2001)

 Linking Authentic Instruction to Students’ Achievement Using Peer Coaching: Social Studies Best Practices Grant (2001)

Education Minnesota’s TALL Project: Teachers as Learners and Leaders (1st Annual Evaluation Report) (2001)

Minneapolis Public Schools Start Time Study Executive Summary 2001 (2001)

The Problem of Reform in Urban High Schools: A Tale of Two Teams (2001)

Dissemination With Impact: What Research Suggests for Practice in Career and Technical Education (2001)

Changing Student Attitudes Toward Math: Using Dance to Teach Math (2001)

Monarch Monitoring: A Teacher/Student/Scientist Research Project. Final Report (2001)

Saint Paul Public Schools Excel Program (2002)

 Leadership for Literacy Grant Evaluation Report (2002)

 Artist, Teacher, and School Change Through Arts for Academic Achievement: Artists Reflect on Long-Term Partnering as a Means of Achieving Change (2002)

Differentiating the Curriculum: What Difference Does it Make? (2002)

Education Minnesota’s TALL Project: Teachers as Learners and Leaders (Second Annual Evaluation Report) (2002)

Changing Times: Findings From the First Longitudinal Study of Later High School Start Times (2002)

Models of Implementing Arts for Academic Achievement: Challenging Contemporary Classroom Practice (2003)

Arts for Academic Achievement: Images of Arts Infusion in Elementary Classrooms (2003)

Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP) Evaluation, 2001-2002 (2003)

Minnesota State Incentive Grant, Synopsis of Final Case Report (2003)

Implementing Arts for Academic Achievement: The Impact of Mental Models, Professional Community and Interdisciplinary Teaming (2003)

What Does Arts Integration Do for Students? (2003)

21st Century Community Learning Centers: Pathways to Progress, Saint Paul Public Schools (Final Evaluation Report) (2004)

Analysis of the College in the Schools Program Impact Survey: A survey of participating teachers, principals, and guidance counselors (2004)

College in the Schools Follow-Up Student Survey: A survey of alumni five years after participation (2004)

Executive Summary: Analysis of College in the Schools (CIS) Surveys (2004)

 

 

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