The idea for this series developed from a forum organized by the American Psychological Association, theAmerican Educational Research Association, the National Science Foundation, and the Center for Educationat the National Research Council on multiple methods in education research. At this forum, Dr. Pat Forgione,(now former) superintendent of the Austin School District, hosted a dialogue with two scholars who wereeach asked to analyze a problem situation Forgione provided from his district. The audience responded veryenthusiastically to this exercise and in the evaluations expressed the desire for more complementary analysesof real-world problems that could serve as a component of research training in education. It is our intention tohave this volume and the others in the series serve as case-based teaching material for graduate classes ineducation policy, and to inform the work of researchers, practitioners, and policy leaders.This particular case study is designed to explore the extent to which a teacher evaluation system is effective. It also addresses the challenge ofmeasuring student achievement gains when the students in question are already at the high end of the scale, a different-yet important-problem in anera when many concentrate on "low-hanging fruit" or students "on the bubble" between failure and marginal performance. By presenting a realworldcase, various research methods for studying issues raised by the case, and the interchange among scholars engaged in this effort, this volume will alloweducational policymakers and practitioners to decide if a proposed approach is compelling and relevant for their settings. Concurrently, a comparisonof various research methods addressing a real school-based problem provides an important learning tool for the research community, and for those whostudy and make policy.We also believe that the case study and the research designs will be useful for those with responsibility for framing and fundinga research agenda in education that utilizes strong research designs applied to topics that matter tostudent outcomes at all levels of the U.S. education system and at all levels of pupil performance. Andfinally, we hope that doctoral programs that seek to prepare the next generation of educationresearchers will find our approach helpful in their work.
