Project Rise

Through funding from the US Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation Fund, Internationals Network implemented an I3 Development Project, Project RISE, (Realizing Internationals Supports for English Learners, U411C120051). Project RISE was designed to phase in and pilot features of the Internationals Academy over four years (SY2014-SY2018) in public high schools in two large urban districts that are traditional immigrant receiver destinations. American Institutes for Research (AIR) conducted a multi-year implementation and impact evaluation of Project RISE. Using a comparison sample of matched students from non-implementation sites across multiple variables (EL level, time in country, SES, school size), an analysis was conducted using a two-level hierarchical linear model. The attached final reports from the study document findings, which revealed lasting shifts in instructional practice and positive changes in school culture. Due to the study’s small sample size and lack of robust comparison groups, the positive academic outcomes identified in the project were of limited statistical significance, which is not unusual: only 8 percent of I3 Development Grants produced a significant impact on achievement.