PAVED Research Projects

The Community Decides Project

Can we foster racial equity in the U.S. by empowering the school communities of low-income Black and Latinx families? The Community Decides project explores this question by initiating and evaluating a democratic process rooted in participatory democracy and deliberation. Through our process, students and parents of minoritized schools gain the opportunity to have direct input over the use of supplementary funding aimed towards improving their neighborhood school. This is a multi-year study funded by the Spencer Foundation. The aim is to assess the causal impact of a democratic intervention on individual empowerment and overall school improvement.

Connecting Congress to Classrooms

Through a multi-university collaboration, we are developing and testing a technology-enabled experiential approach to deepening civic education in the high school social studies curriculum. The capstone experience at the center of our curriculum module is an online deliberative town hall meeting that engages students and teachers directly with their sitting member of Congress. This powerful, direct and authentic experience with democracy in practice will be embedded in a rigorous social studies curricular unit where high school students study a controversial topic that is of interest to them – and one that policymakers at the national level are grappling with – and then discuss the issue first with students from a different part of the state, and then with one of those very same policy makers.This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES).

Click Here for More Information on: Connecting Classrooms to Congress

The Democracy, Race, and Education Policy Survey Project

We conduct original survey projects of both the general public and local officials. Our surveys aim to assess the policy preferences of the public and district leaders. Our projects take particular concern with the policy preferences and attitudes of our most vulnerable - People of Color and individuals coming from low-income households - and the policy conditions in their districts. These projects also devote considerable attention to exploring preferences for democratic innovation strategies.

“How do Americans really feel about reopening schools?.” Washington Post

“Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose School Reopenings, Data Finds.” Washington Post

"Who Wants to Reopen Schools in a Pandemic?" EdWorking Papers.

The School Board Innovation Project

We conduct original research aimed toward exploring the possibilities for innovating public participation at school board meetings. This work largely centers on experimental research designs that explore the manipulation of school board meeting structure.

“Does Meeting Style Matter?”

Voces Con Poder

At the outset of the summer, the leaders of the Central Falls Public School District (CFSD) of Central Falls, RI allocated $100,000 for the public to decide its use. The dollars came by way of a federal grant received through the Elementary and Secondary School Relief (ESSR) funds. Public engagement in the decision-making process would center on a democratic innovation design called participatory budgeting (PB).

Click here for: Voces con Poder Evaluation Full Report

Also watch: Voces con Poder Video

Power to the Pupil (P2P)

In the summer of 2022, the PAVED Research Team in collaboration with Brown University and the Providence Public School District led the implementation of a democratic process to determine how Brown invests $100,000 into the local public schools. Known as Power to the Pupil (P2P), the project brought an entire 8th grade of an under-served middle school onto Brown’s campus for a day of activities that centered around democratic deliberations over how Brown should use its investment. After deciding on an area of investment through, a delegation of students worked to turn their peers’ broad idea (more hands-on learning opportunities, into a line-item budget to guide Brown’s investment. For more information about P2P and the impact on the participating students, check out the report below.

Click here for : Power to the Pupil (P2P) Report

Also watch: WPRI Community Focus - Jonathan Collins