Research 25+ Years of Validated Climate & Culture Data
For over 25 years, CEE has been collecting school climate and culture survey data, building a robust, validated bank of research items, including studies supported in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It’s the foundation behind every recommendation we make.
Explore Our StudiesResearch-Backed Strategies for School and District Improvement
Every CEE survey, data tool, and improvement strategy is grounded in our own peer-reviewed research — not guesswork. Our seminal study was made possible by generous grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
With more than two decades of hands-on work alongside districts, schools, and education nonprofits of every size, you can trust CEE’s research-based recommendations and act on our best-in-class practices with confidence — whether you’re closing opportunity gaps, boosting graduation rates, or building a stronger culture of continuous improvement.
Want to put CEE’s research to work in your own district?
Access CEE Data for Your Own Research
Illuminating the Strengths of Black, Latino/a, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Students Experiencing Poverty
Backed by generous support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEE released this seminal study in 2021. We analyzed seven performance measures across more than 2,100 Washington State schools to identify true outliers in systemic performance and improvement.
Using student-level academic and engagement data from 2014–2019, the study identified schools that successfully removed barriers and created the conditions to amplify the existing strengths of Black, Latino/a, American Indian/Alaska Native, and students experiencing poverty.
The 38 schools identified as beating the odds share a common thread: administrators who took ownership of illuminating — and building on — their students’ strengths.
Measures Analyzed
- Attendance
- Progress for English learners
- English-language arts performance
- Mathematics performance
- Readiness for high school
- High school course rigor (college credits)
- Graduation rates
Turning Research Into a Community of Practice
With continued support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEE engaged 14 outlier high school principals and six rural superintendents in a Community of Practice (CoP). Together, this cohort shared the strategies behind their success, grounded in the findings of our original Outlier Schools study.
CEE has translated the group’s solutions into practical resources, so more schools and districts can put these proven insights to work improving student learning.
Resources From the Cohort
- Podcasts showcasing participants’ best practices
- Artifacts from the group’s exploration, illustrating real problems of practice
- Video vignette on student voice and school-based success
Mapping What Drives Continuous Improvement Statewide
Phase I of this 2019–2021 study, also supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, set out to build a deep understanding of the continuous improvement efforts most positively influencing outcomes for Black, Latino, Native American, and low-income students across Washington’s 295 school districts.
Phase II uncovered the stories and histories behind 34 outlier schools — how each created the conditions to beat the odds. CEE is now conducting further analysis of district-level support across 10 of these case studies.
The Evidence Behind Our Tools and Frameworks
A window into the “why” behind CEE’s data. Our product research is built to show what’s right with your district — not just what’s wrong — so you can act on real signal instead of anecdotes, and give your team a research-backed way to turn feedback into new thinking and action.
9 Characteristics of High-Performing Schools
Since its original publication, the nine characteristics of high-performing schools have become a widely used framework for school improvement across Washington State. Research conducted by CEE for OSPI and more than 400 Washington schools supports these nine characteristics as a rigorous, research-backed lens for staff to evaluate what most impacts student learning and achievement — giving school teams common language and consistent practice for their improvement conversations.
Read the StudyRoad Map Project: Student Engagement & Motivation Survey
In 2012, the Youth Development for Education Results (YDER) work group of the Road Map Project partnered with CEE to develop and pilot the Student Engagement and Motivation Survey (SEMS) — measuring how students’ beliefs about themselves relate to their school attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes.
An initial pilot with 6,000 Renton School District students in December 2012 showed the survey’s reliability and its power to reveal student motivation and engagement at the school, district, and aggregate levels — students reporting lower grades and more frequent absences also scored lower on skill and disposition measures. A revised Version 2.0 launched in fall 2013 and is now available to other Road Map districts, on its own or alongside existing climate surveys.
Read the Study