Our Publications
MC² Newsletter and Updates
The inaugural issue of Inside MC² shares how our work is evolving — from statewide community schools certification efforts in New Mexico to multi-site evaluations and implementation-focused research partnerships. In this February 2026 issue, we highlight how we’re strengthening recruitment systems, data visualization practices, and decision-support tools to ensure that evaluation not only documents outcomes, but meaningfully informs practice.
Our Reports
Mendez, Flanagan, Watt, Gamse, McCormick
2025
In the 2024–25 school year, MC² Education continued its evaluation of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Genocide Education Grant, examining how districts and educators are implementing genocide education across the state. This phase of the study includes survey data from district leaders, along with insights from teachers, students, and community partners through focus groups. The findings provide an updated view of implementation, highlighting strengths, challenges, and opportunities to further support effective genocide education.
Explore the full findings:
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Mendez, McCormick, Watt, Gamse, Taylor, and García
2024
In 2023, the Massachusetts’ Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), contracted MC² Education to conduct a landscape analysis and evaluation of the DESE Genocide Education Grant. This landscape analysis describes district-level efforts in Massachusetts to provide genocide education, coupled with classroom-level information from district leaders and classroom teachers reporting on their experiences, perceptions, comfort, and concerns about genocide education, based on a representative sample of 111 districts across the state4, and are selected highlights.
Explore the full findings:
Mendez, Flanagan, Gamse, Watt, McCormick, and Garcia
2025
This report provides an overview of the Commonwealth’s efforts to strengthen and expand K–12 civics education following the adoption of the 2018 History and Social Science Framework and the Civics Engagement Act. It highlights statewide progress in implementing student-led civics projects, culturally responsive instruction, and opportunities for meaningful civic participation. The report also identifies ongoing challenges, such as uneven district capacity and the need for stronger professional development, and offers insights that can support educators, policymakers, and partners working to ensure that all students have access to high-quality civics learning.
Mendez, Flanagan, Gamse, Watt, McCormick, García, and Levinson
2025
This brief summarizes selected findings from a recent study of civics education for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) conducted by conducted by MC² Education (MC²), focusing specifically on student civics projects. One aim of the MC² study was to learn whether and how students are engaged in high-quality civics projects in 8th grade and in high school; the current study represents the first systematic effort to learn about student civics projects since the Massachusetts 2018 History and Social Science Framework and its requirements took effect.
McCormick, Watt, Flanagan, Fernandez, Taylor, and Franklin
2025
This report highlights findings from MC²'s second year of evaluation of this innovative program, which connects middle and high school students with filmmaking. This evaluation examines self-reported student outcomes such as industry-specific skills, social emotional learning, connection to school, and soft skills like perseverence and agency. With increasing participation statewide, the program offers insights to schools, funders, and policymakers about the potential of project-based arts education in preparing students for their futures in film and beyond.
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Goodson, McCormick, Harvill, Sarna, and Brown
2024
Rachel and her colleagues from Abt Associates provided technical assistance and analyzed findings from the Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund report evaluates the U.S. Department of Education's $1.4 billion investment in evidence-based educational strategies (2010–2016). This report highlights key findings from those innovations in professional development, school turnaround, and curriculum improvement. Overall, they found that 94% of evaluations met rigorous quality standards and 26% demonstrated significant positive effects on student outcomes. These findings offer valuable insights for future grantmaking efforts under the successor Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program.
McCormick, Watt, Mendez, Fernandez, and García
2024
MC² Education has been partnering with Film Prize Junior New Mexico since the 2023-2024 academic year. This report highlights the findings from their first year evaluation of this innovative program that connects middle and high school students with filmmaking. This evaluation examines self-reported student outcomes such as industry-specific and soft skills, teamwork, and persistence. With increasing participation statewide, the program offers insights to policymakers about the potential of project-based education in preparing students for diverse futures in film and beyond.
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McCormick, Woo, Mendez, Grossman, and Magnaricotte
2024
High dosage tutoring is happening in rural New Mexico with excellent attendance rates. Why does this matter? Students can't benefit from tutoring if they don't go - and we need to find tutoring models that can effectively reach rural areas! The average student in our study attended 71 minutes of tutoring per week. Rachel wrote this Issues Brief that with her colleagues at MDRC and the University of Chicago Education Lab about how the Personalized Learning Initiative partnered with the New Mexico Public Education Department and mostly rural schools to rollout this virtual tutoring model.
McCormick, Woo, Steiner, Grossman
2023
Rachel and her colleagues describe how their efforts in New Mexico used a researcher/ practitioner partnership to reflect on the challenges of a pilot program that offered high-dosage tutoring after school. This collaborative approach led to moving away from evenings and weekends sessions to regular school hours. This shift not only improved attendance but also integrated personalized learning into the school day, ideally fostering deeper engagement and measurable academic success.
Mendez and McCormick
2021
Jackie, Rachel and their colleagues present a comprehensive dual language education Theory of Change Logic Model. This colorful, engaging, and complex model showcases strategies for integrating equity, social justice, and bilingualism into dual language school programs. This resource should be valuable for educators, policymakers, and researchers striving to advance culturally sustaining pedagogy.
McCormick, Harvill, Mendez, Shea
2021
Rachel, Jackie, and their colleagues conducted a rigorous evaluation of the performance and accessibility of charter schools across the state of New Mexico with a special focus on dual-language education models. The study included both a lottery study (in research speak, a randomized controlled trial) and a study that used similar students who didn’t attend charter schools to form a comparison group (in research speak, a quasi-experimental study). This research project provides valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and advocates of educational innovation in New Mexico and recommendations for equity and quality improvements. It also highlights key findings on academic outcomes, college enrollment, and the impact of continuous dual-language instruction.