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Program Evaluation and Education Research (PEER) Group

Supporting innovation, equity and capacity building in North Carolina and beyond

Proud of our public charter to address the pressing, near-term demands of our educational system, the PEER Group provides evaluation, research and technical assistance to answer the questions that matter most to our education partners. Since 2009, we have effectively carried out $15 million in grants and contracts in support of the Friday Institute’s mission to advance education through innovation in teaching, learning and leadership.

Current Projects

Resources

Services

Past Projects

Teaching for the Long Haul: Professionalizing Career Pathways for North Carolina Teachers

In 2016, six North Carolina school districts were chosen to develop pilot advanced teaching roles programs that would allow highly effective classroom teachers to take on leadership roles in their schools and reach more students. The Friday Institute conducted a formal three-year evaluation of these six pilots and “deep dive” closer-look investigations with three of the pilots.

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ASSISTments Use During In-Person and Remote Instruction

Using surveys and interviews, researchers at the Friday Institute conducted a case study of teachers’ use of ASSISTments in in-person instruction and in remote instruction, both during the NC ASSISTments Replication Study and outside of the study.

Insight into Contemporary Professional Growth Needs for North Carolina Educators

Researchers from the Friday Institute conducted this exploratory qualitative study to better understand the classroom-, school- and district-level challenges North Carolina educators were facing one year into the pandemic.

“The Opportunity to Dream”: How an Early Learning Network Implemented the Liberatory Design Process

Researchers from the PEER Group sought to better understand how the liberatory design process impacted district teams and the supports and barriers to design thinking and how to improve the design thinking process.

LASER Institute Builds Community of Scholars for Lifelong Connections, Future Collaboration

The LASER Institute held their third and final summer workshop, an intensive five-day program of learning labs, research planning sessions and guest speakers.

2023-2024 Catalyst Grant Winners Announced

The Friday Institute and the NC State College of Education have awarded three Catalyst Grants that are designed to increase research collaborations between faculty and staff at both entities and seed collaborative, high-impact research that will lead to further inquiry and support.

Friday Institute Partners with NCCU, IEI to Help NCDIT Develop Digital Equity Plan for North Carolina

In partnership with North Carolina Central University and the Institute for Emerging Issues, the Program Evaluation and Education Research (PEER) Group at the Friday Institute will lead the effort to manage the development of a Digital Equity Asset Inventory for North Carolina, conduct a series of listening sessions across the state and facilitate the implementation and analysis of a statewide digital equity survey to help the North Carolina Department of Information Technology Division of Broadband and Digital Equity (NCDIT) develop a five-year digital equity plan.