Tami Kopischke Smith

Associate ProfessorEducation Studies

Tami Kopischke Smith is an Associate Professor of Education at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland. She completed her doctorate in educational psychology, with a specialization in tests and measurement, in 2001 at the University of Virginia. Prior to her arrival at Goucher in 2004, she was the Education Research Program Manager at the University of Maryland, Center for Quality and Productivity where she worked with local districts to assess the impact of their management systems on student achievement. At Goucher College, she teaches a broad range of courses that address educational psychology, research and data use, and multicultural perspectives.

Dr. Smith’s is an Affiliate Researcher at the Johns Hopkins, Baltimore Education Research Consortium, where she participates in research-practitioner relationships within Baltimore City Public Schools. She has conducted a number of studies related to how teachers use data, school climate, and high value high schools. She has written about how teachers and students responded to the incidents surrounding the death of Freddie Gray. Most recently, her scholarship has focused on Improvement Science methodology, developing a model and survey for measuring a school’s readiness to adopt change and is leading a research team in redefining how we assess school quality.  

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Research, Scholarship, Creative Work in Progress

Dr. Smith is currently working with a team to define and identify the adult factors related to the “quality of a seat” in public school. The project is funded the Baltimore Community Foundation. To see a summary of the work check-out this 20-minute update.

For video:   https://youtu.be/s-9P2eNrEIE

For audio: http://www.bcf.org/News/All-News/DNNArticle-Detail-View/ArticleId/633/July-20-Minute-Update

She has also recently co-published a blog about using Improvement Science methodology in schools and school systems.

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/urban_education_reform/2017/08/the_case_for_improvement_science.html

Publications

Blogs

Connolly, F., Stein, M. L., & Smith, T.K. (2017, August 7). The Case for Improvement Science.

Facebook Live

(2017, August). Baltimore Community Foundation 20 Minute Update: School Effectiveness. 

Professional Reports

Smith, T.K., (February, 2017). School Readiness for Improvement Science: Driver Diagram and Survey. Funded by Improving Education.

Smith, T.K., Gibson, S., & Bridges, T. (January, 2016). Voices from the High Value High

Project. Baltimore Education Research Consortium. Baltimore.

Smith, T. K., Connolly, F., & Pryseski, C. (2014, February). Positive School Climate:

What it Looks Like and How it Happens. Baltimore Education Research Consortium. Baltimore. http://baltimore-berc.org/school-climate/

Smith, T. K. (2010, August). Evaluation of Washington County Public Schools

extended-day for teachers: Trends in achievement and best practices. Report presented to Washington County Public Schools Senior Staff. Hagerstown, MD.

Robinson, A. & Smith, T.K. (2010, October). Campus climate related to diversity at

Ursinus College: A report from the Teagle visiting team from Goucher College during Year 2. Report presented to Ursinus College. Collegeville, PA.

Curry, M. & Smith, T.K. (2010, March). Diversity at Washington College: A report from

the Teagle visiting team from Goucher College. Report presented to Washington

College. Chestertown, MD.

Smith, T. K. (2009, August). Evaluation of classroom data use in six Title I elementary

schools in Washington County Public Schools. Report presented to Washington

County Public Schools Senior Staff. Hagerstown, MD.

Tuttle, T. & Smith, T.K. (2005). Dorchester County integrative management system

assessment. Report presented to Dorchester County Public Schools Superintendent. Cambridge, MD.

Smith, T.K. (2005). School and district integrated management systems deployment and trends in

student achievement. Unpublished manuscript, Center for Quality and Productivity, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Refereed Journal Articles

Smith, T.K. & Moreno-López, I. (2012). Outcomes of an interdisciplinary

study abroad course: Learning Spanish and multicultural education concurrently. Intercultural Education, 23 (4), 359-373.

Moreno-López, I., Saenz de Tejada, C., & Smith, T.K. (2008). Language and study

abroad across the curriculum: An analysis of course development. Foreign

Language Annals, 41(4), 674-86.

External Awards, Honors, Grants

External Grants

  1. Quality Seats funded by Baltimore Community Foundation
  2. High Value High School funded by Open Society Institute – Baltimore
  3. Positive School Climate funded by Open Society Institute – Baltimore

Conference Papers & Panel Participation

 

Refereed Conference Papers and Panels

Smith, T. K. & Gibson, S. (2016, April). Actions and Reactions in the Aftermath of

Freddie Gray: Voices from Baltimore Schools, Panel lead at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Associate–Public Scholarship to Education Diverse Democracies Washington DC.

Smith, T. K. & Connolly, F. (2015, April). Positive school climate: What it looks like and

how it happens. Paper presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association. Chicago, IL.

Smith, T. K. & Morgan, E. M. (2011, April). Closing the gap between Title I and non-

Title I schools: Does systemic data focus make a difference? Paper presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association. New Orleans, LA.

Smith, T. K. & Morgan, E. M. (2010, April). A case study of school reform factors

contributing to student achievement: Perceptions and results. Paper presented

at the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association. Denver, CO.

Smith, T.K. & Morgan, E.M. (2009, April). Using formative and summative data to

improve instructional decisions that meet individual student needs.   Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Education Research Association, San Diego, CA.

Smith, T.K. & Moreno-López, I. (2008, October). Assessment of student outcomes in an

interdisciplinary study abroad course: Learning Spanish through multicultural

education content. Paper presented at the Conference on Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum, Chapel Hill, NC.

Smith, T.K., Wayman, J. & Gasko, J. (2006, November). School practices in the

effective use of student data for educational improvement. University Council for

Educational Administration 20th Convention. San Antonio, TX.

Smith, T.K., Moreno-López, I, & Saenz de Tejada,C(2006,October). Building interdisciplinary study abroad courses. Paper presented at the Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum Conference, Portland, OR.

Additional Conference Presentations

Smith, T. K., (July & August, 2013). Positive School Climate: Preliminary Findings. Presented at the Second Annual School Climate Workgroup for Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore, MD.

Moreno-López, I. & Smith, T.K. (2009, March). Student advances in Spanish and intercultural proficiency through a Title VI interdisciplinary study abroad course. Presented at the Title VI 50th Anniversary Conference, Washington, DC.

Smith, T.K., Harvey, M., & Newlin, N. (2002, October). Data, data, everywhere: School Improvement teams. Baldrige Learning Conference 2002. Laurel, MD.

Kopischke, T.L., O’Donnell, & Tuttle, T. (2001, December). Baldrige assessment options. Baldrige Learning Conference 2001. Laurel, MD.

Invited Talks

Smith, T. K., (July & August, 2013). Positive School Climate: Preliminary Findings.

Presented at the Second Annual School Climate Workgroup for Baltimore City Public Schools, Baltimore, MD.

Academic or Professional Associations

  • American Education Research Association (AERA)

  • Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)