Center for Community and School Action Research (CCSAR)
Welcome! The Center for Community
and School Action Research (CCSAR) is a Center of Excellence within the
Connecticut State University System and is located within the School of
Education at Southern Connecticut State University.
Since its inception in 1998, a major focus of CCSAR's work was to conduct the annual evaluation of all the Educator
Preparation Programs at SCSU. That involved the
administration and analysis of student, alumni and principal surveys; focus
groups; and a review of test scores from performance based assessments, e.g.,
Praxis II, BEST Teaching Portfolio, and other assessment measures. The purpose
of the evaluation was to assess and measure the overall effectiveness and
quality of the Educator Preparation Programs, and to ensure that SCSU continues
to meet the standards set by all of its accrediting bodies, e.g., NCATE, the
State Department of Education, and other specialty accrediting bodies for our various
disciplines. To assist the school of Education in its efforts to evaluate the
quality of its programs, CCSAR distributed surveys to all
undergraduate, graduate, sixth year, and doctoral students enrolled in an educator
preparation program prior to graduation This survey provided students with the
opportunity to give feedback and to respond to various statements regarding
their classroom and field experiences while a student at SCSU. This important work continues as a function of the Office of Assessment
and Planning.
Starting this year CCSAR's major
responsibility is to support the
implementation and documentation of professional development activities within
the School of Education and in developing a partnership with the School Development Program at the Yale University Child Study Center, and partnering with school districts and schools across
the State. CCSAR's staff also conducts
research and evaluation studies on programs and initiatives that impact
children's academic, social and emotional development. Additionally, a major focus of CCSAR's
activities is on addressing the achievement gap in Connecticut through
facilitating seminars and workshops, conducting related research and evaluation
and by supporting and assisting with
related program development. CCSAR continues to serve as a resource for
technical assistance and support for faculty and student research.
Again, welcome to the School of Education, to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and specifically to CCSAR. Please feel free to stop by and visit us in the Department of Educational Leadership in TE6.
Sincerely, Norris M. Haynes, Ph.D.
Director, CCSAR
