Research and Evaluation

Research and evaluation is an area of expertise located within the Office of Planning and Research (OPR). The mission of this group is to improve the use of data and research findings to improve programming and policy decision-making within the department and in schools and districts, including DESE's Educational Vision . DESE has defined a research agenda related to the agency's goals and strategies so that we can improve their implementation and measure their outcomes.

Our Strategies

To conduct data analysis and design tools, processes, and evaluations to serve DESE program offices and other key constituencies
To manage external evaluations and disseminate evaluation findings of DESE programs and initiatives, with a focus on

Our Work

Provide data, evaluation, and research support and resources for districts and schools to:

Select evidence-based practices and develop evidence about their own practices: The How Do We Know Initiative
Understand and apply findings on student perceptions of school climate, including bullying: Views of Climate and Learning (VOCAL) Survey Project
Measure and students' core social and emotional competencies: Social Emotional Learning Indicator System (SELIS) Survey Pilot Project

Develop data tools and training on those to support educators in working with students:

Provide access to reports on work conducted by DESE including program evaluations, education policy briefs, legislative reports, board reports, and other in the Reports Library

Identify the evaluation and research priorities for the department by reviewing our Research Agenda

Support researchers to address DESE priorities with DESE data here: For Researchers.

Note to Researchers

Researchers interested in working with Massachusetts data should contact OPR for more information.

Last Updated: October 20, 2023