Speakers - Annual Principal Investigators Meeting

Bio

Elizabeth Albro joined the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in 2002 as an AAAS/SRCD Policy Fellow and served as a National Center for Education Research (NCER) Program Officer. She was named NCER's Associate Commissioner for Teaching and Learning in 2007 and served as Acting Commissioner of Education Research from August 2011 to January 2013. In 2018, she was appointed Commissioner of NCER. As a Program Officer, Dr. Albro has overseen multiple research portfolios, including ones focused on cognitive science and student learning; reading and writing; social and behavioral skills; and English learners. She had an early hand in building the Cognition and Student Learning and Reading and Writing research portfolios. She worked closely with the expert panel who wrote one of the first IES Practice Guides, Organizing Instruction to Support Study and Learning. Recently, she has played a role in several large-scale research efforts, including the Reading for Understanding Research Initiative and the Early Learning Network. She was a principal author of the U.S. Department of Education's Plan and Policy Development Guidance for Public Access: Improving Access to Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research and is a member of the Interagency Working Group on Open Science. Prior to joining IES, Dr. Albro was a faculty member at two liberal arts colleges, Whittier College and Wheaton College (Norton, MA). Dr. Albro holds a B.A. in the behavioral sciences, an M.A. in the social sciences, and a Ph.D. in psychology with an emphasis on cognition and communication, all from the University of Chicago.

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Commissioner's Welcome: NCER
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Join Elizabeth Albro, Commissioner of the National Center for Education Research (NCER), to learn about the contributions of NCER-funded research and research training to the education sciences and improvements in education practice, NCER's newest investments, and ask questions about the work of the Center.

PRESENTER

Elizabeth Albro, Commissioner, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Edtech: The Buzz, the Promise, the Evidence, and the Future
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

DESCRIPTION

Education technology is here to stay, but its full potential has not been realized. Learn about trends, promising applications, the appropriate use of technology, and research challenges in Edtech. What are some current challenges in the field, and how might they be overcome? Are there branches of education or of technology that are frequently overlooked or forgotten when we have these conversations? How can funders, researchers, and developers each contribute to ensure that technology-based tools are both useful and of high quality?

MODERATORS

Elizabeth Albro, Comissioner, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education
José Blackorby, CAST, Inc.

PRESENTERS

Maithilee Kunda, Vanderbilt University
Krista Marks, Woot Math
Erin Ottmar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

Bio

José Blackorby is the Senior Director of Research and Development at CAST, Inc. and a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). He has been working to improve outcomes for children and youth with disabilities for more than 20 years. He has led large-scale national studies, designed assessments, developed innovative technology solutions for STEM and higher-order thinking skills, and conducted significant design and experimental research. His current work focuses on next-generation applications of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in instruction and assessments. Current projects include the development of an open source UDL player for Open Educational Resources, an efficacy study of a UDL-based inquiry science notebook called SNUDLE, and a Google application called CORGI to support higher-order thinking skills for struggling learners. In collaboration with UDL-IRN, he provides leadership for the UDL Credentialing and Certification Initiative, which is building an online platform called Learning Designed to provide personalized pathways to micro-credentials for educators, certifications for school buildings, and education technology products. This initiative will contribute to efforts to implement UDL at scale. He has contributed to the field through publications, products, membership on national advisory boards, and higher education teaching at HGSE.

Website:
www.cast.org

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Edtech: The Buzz, the Promise, the Evidence, and the Future
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

DESCRIPTION

Education technology is here to stay, but its full potential has not been realized. Learn about trends, promising applications, the appropriate use of technology, and research challenges in Edtech. What are some current challenges in the field, and how might they be overcome? Are there branches of education or of technology that are frequently overlooked or forgotten when we have these conversations? How can funders, researchers, and developers each contribute to ensure that technology-based tools are both useful and of high quality?

MODERATORS

Elizabeth Albro, Comissioner, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education
José Blackorby, CAST, Inc.

PRESENTERS

Maithilee Kunda, Vanderbilt University
Krista Marks, Woot Math
Erin Ottmar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

Bio

Laura Neergaard Booker is the Executive Director of Research at the Tennessee Department of Education. She has been with the department's Research and Strategy Team for over five years and currently leads the team that conducts research and acts as broker for several research-practice partnerships. Dr. Booker serves on the steering committee of the Tennessee Education Research Alliance and co-founded the education research podcast, The TNth Period. She earned her doctorate from the Department of Leadership, Policy, and Organizations at Vanderbilt University. Her dissertation focused on instructional practices and supports for beginning middle school math teachers. At Vanderbilt, she was a fellow in the Institute of Education Sciences-funded Experimental Education Research Training program and a research assistant for the National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools. Prior to starting her studies at Vanderbilt, Dr. Booker worked as a research associate at the Center for Research in Educational Policy at the University of Memphis and taught second grade through Teach For America.

Twitter
@LauraBookerTN

Website:
The TNth Period: Education Research in Tennessee (podcast)

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Working Together to Better Inform Policy and Practice
Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are key to improving the utility and influence of education research. In this session, a group of panelists, including a postsecondary researcher and former higher education administrator, early childhood research/practice partners, and an education policy consultant with expertise in special education, will discuss the role of education research in policymaking and practice. Topics of discussion will include examples of and strategies for bridging the worlds of practice, policy, and research; opportunities and challenges around collaboration; and strategies for making research more policy and practice ready.

MODERATORS

Laura Booker, Tennessee Department of Education
Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

PRESENTERS

Alexandra Logue, The City University of New York
Jason Sachs, Boston Public Schools
Christina Weiland, University of Michigan
Jane West, University of Maryland

Jefferson West Why Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships Fail
Thursday, January 10, 2019 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

DESCRIPTION

Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) are a new trend in education research as state and local education agencies look to implement "evidence-based programs" under the Every Student Succeeds Act, and funders, such as IES and foundations, seek to support research with practical impacts. In this session, the research leads for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Tennessee Department of Education summarize what they have learned from their experiences participating in RPPs.

Note: Continue the conversations from this session in the associated lunch meet-up on Evaluating RPPs!

MODERATOR

Allen Ruby, National Center for Education Research (NCER)

PRESENTERS

Laura Booker, Tennessee Department of Education
Carrie Conaway, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
William Penuel, University of Colorado Boulder
Nathaniel Schwartz, Tennessee Department of Education

Bio

Maithilee Kunda is an Assistant Professor of computer science and computer engineering at Vanderbilt University. Her work in artificial intelligence, in the area of cognitive systems, looks at how visual thinking contributes to learning and intelligent behavior, with a focus on applications for individuals on the autism spectrum. She currently directs Vanderbilt’s Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Visual Analogical Systems, and is a founding investigator in Vanderbilt's Frist Center for Autism and Innovation. She holds a B.S. in mathematics with computer science from MIT and a Ph.D. in computer science from Georgia Tech. In 2016, she was recognized as a visionary on the MIT Technology Review’s annual list of 35 Innovators Under 35.

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Edtech: The Buzz, the Promise, the Evidence, and the Future
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

DESCRIPTION

Education technology is here to stay, but its full potential has not been realized. Learn about trends, promising applications, the appropriate use of technology, and research challenges in Edtech. What are some current challenges in the field, and how might they be overcome? Are there branches of education or of technology that are frequently overlooked or forgotten when we have these conversations? How can funders, researchers, and developers each contribute to ensure that technology-based tools are both useful and of high quality?

MODERATORS

Elizabeth Albro, Comissioner, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education
José Blackorby, CAST, Inc.

PRESENTERS

Maithilee Kunda, Vanderbilt University
Krista Marks, Woot Math
Erin Ottmar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

Bio

Alexandra Logue is an internationally known behavioral scientist specializing in learning and motivation. She received her A.B. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Harvard University. Following graduate school, Dr. Logue joined the faculty of SUNY Stony Brook, where she ultimately became Professor of Psychology and Chair of the Psychology Department. As a faculty member, Dr. Logue primarily conducted research on quantitative models of choice behavior. She subsequently served as Dean of Baruch College, Provost of New York Institute of Technology, and Executive Vice Chancellor (chief academic officer) of the City University of New York, a system of over 500,000 matriculated and nonmatriculated students. Recently, as a Research Professor, she has focused on rigorous research concerning college student success. In 2016 she and her colleagues published the only (positive) results of a randomized controlled trial of corequisite math remediation to date. Her most recent book, Pathways to Reform: Credits and Conflict at The City University of New York (2017, Princeton), is a case study involving transfer credit policy that illustrates the difficulty of making change in higher education. She is the recipient of the American Psychological Association’s Hake Award for excellence in bridging basic and applied research, and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the Psychonomic Society.

Twitter
@LexaLogue

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Working Together to Better Inform Policy and Practice
Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are key to improving the utility and influence of education research. In this session, a group of panelists, including a postsecondary researcher and former higher education administrator, early childhood research/practice partners, and an education policy consultant with expertise in special education, will discuss the role of education research in policymaking and practice. Topics of discussion will include examples of and strategies for bridging the worlds of practice, policy, and research; opportunities and challenges around collaboration; and strategies for making research more policy and practice ready.

MODERATORS

Laura Booker, Tennessee Department of Education
Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

PRESENTERS

Alexandra Logue, The City University of New York
Jason Sachs, Boston Public Schools
Christina Weiland, University of Michigan
Jane West, University of Maryland

Bio

Krista Marks is co-founder and CEO of Woot Math, a software platform that helps teachers close the gap with engaging, research-backed solutions for the math classroom. Previously, she was VP of User-Generated Content at Disney after Disney acquired Kerpoof in 2008. The tools created at Disney and Kerpoof allow millions of kids to create and share art, stories, and animated movies. Krista was awarded the Kids at Play Interactive award for “Emerging Pioneer” at the International Consumer Electronics Show in 2011. Krista serves on the board of the National Center for Women in Information Technology and the Silicon Flatirons Center for Entrepreneurial Development at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She holds multiple U.S. patents and a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of South Carolina.

Twitter:
@kristamarks
@wootmath

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Edtech: The Buzz, the Promise, the Evidence, and the Future
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

DESCRIPTION

Education technology is here to stay, but its full potential has not been realized. Learn about trends, promising applications, the appropriate use of technology, and research challenges in Edtech. What are some current challenges in the field, and how might they be overcome? Are there branches of education or of technology that are frequently overlooked or forgotten when we have these conversations? How can funders, researchers, and developers each contribute to ensure that technology-based tools are both useful and of high quality?

MODERATORS

Elizabeth Albro, Comissioner, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education
José Blackorby, CAST, Inc.

PRESENTERS

Maithilee Kunda, Vanderbilt University
Krista Marks, Woot Math
Erin Ottmar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

Bio

Joan McLaughlin serves as the Commissioner of the Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). As Commissioner, she has worked to strengthen the research and research training activities of the Center and initiated the competitions for NCSER's Low-Cost, Short-Duration Evaluation of Special Education Interventions and Research Networks to Address Critical Problems of Policy and Practice in Special Education. Dr. McLaughlin previously served as Deputy Commissioner of NCSER, as well as Program Officer for the Early Intervention grant portfolio. Prior to joining NCSER, she worked in the Education and Family Services area of the research consulting firm, Abt Associates; the Office of Analysis and Evaluation at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service; and in the Program Evaluation and Methodology Division of the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Dr. McLaughlin received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Notre Dame and her master's and Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Cornell University.

Related Sessions

International Ballroom West Plenary Session: Commissioner's Welcome: NCSER
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 9:15 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner of the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), will provide an update on NCSER's work, discuss plans for future activities, and take questions from grantees.

PRESENTER

Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Working Together to Better Inform Policy and Practice
Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are key to improving the utility and influence of education research. In this session, a group of panelists, including a postsecondary researcher and former higher education administrator, early childhood research/practice partners, and an education policy consultant with expertise in special education, will discuss the role of education research in policymaking and practice. Topics of discussion will include examples of and strategies for bridging the worlds of practice, policy, and research; opportunities and challenges around collaboration; and strategies for making research more policy and practice ready.

MODERATORS

Laura Booker, Tennessee Department of Education
Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

PRESENTERS

Alexandra Logue, The City University of New York
Jason Sachs, Boston Public Schools
Christina Weiland, University of Michigan
Jane West, University of Maryland

Bio

Erin Ottmar is an Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences, Technology, and Psychology at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She is passionate about interdisciplinary research that integrates multiple theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches from cognitive science, developmental psychology, and mathematics education to address pressing challenges in K–12 teaching and learning. Much of her recent work focuses on the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of dynamic technology-based interventions for algebra. Dr. Ottmar is one of the developers of Graspable Math (GM), an interactive math notation that is supported by a Small Business Innovation Research grant, and is the PI on an IES Cognition and Student Learning efficacy study of From Here to There!, a game-based algebra intervention that she developed in a prior IES grant. In her work, she uses the data logged from the GM technology to reveal student behaviors, engagement, and problem-solving strategies and extend research on perceptual learning and mathematics cognition. Her research has been supported by the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Hewlett Foundation. Dr. Ottmar received her Ph.D. in educational psychology: applied developmental science at the University of Virginia, where she was a 4-year IES Pre-doctoral Fellow.

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Edtech: The Buzz, the Promise, the Evidence, and the Future
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

DESCRIPTION

Education technology is here to stay, but its full potential has not been realized. Learn about trends, promising applications, the appropriate use of technology, and research challenges in Edtech. What are some current challenges in the field, and how might they be overcome? Are there branches of education or of technology that are frequently overlooked or forgotten when we have these conversations? How can funders, researchers, and developers each contribute to ensure that technology-based tools are both useful and of high quality?

MODERATORS

Elizabeth Albro, Comissioner, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education
José Blackorby, CAST, Inc.

PRESENTERS

Maithilee Kunda, Vanderbilt University
Krista Marks, Woot Math
Erin Ottmar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

Bio

Nicole Russo-Ponsaran is an Assistant Professor in the department of Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center, and the Research Director for the Rush NeuroBehavioral Center. Dr. Russo-Ponsaran’s research focuses on the social-emotional health and well-being of children with and without clinical diagnoses. She aims to understand the mechanisms behind children’s, adolescents’, and young adults’ social-emotional competencies; to develop improved methods for measuring social-emotional skills; and to help individuals who have social and emotional challenges overcome these challenges. She works with general education and clinical populations, including individuals with autism spectrum disorders, fragile X syndrome, ADHD, learning problems, language problems, and others. Her work developing a virtual assessment for social information processing earned third place in a recent national Design Challenge sponsored by Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Dr. Russo-Ponsaran has a diverse portfolio of funding, including federal and philanthropic sources such as IES and the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), among others. She serves as PI or co-PI on three IES Goal 5 projects to develop and validate social-emotional learning assessments for school-aged children. Dr. Russo-Ponsaran received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Loyola University Chicago in 2000 and her doctorate in neuroscience, with an emphasis on auditory neuroscience and autism, from Northwestern University in 2008.

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Edtech: The Buzz, the Promise, the Evidence, and the Future
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM

DESCRIPTION

Education technology is here to stay, but its full potential has not been realized. Learn about trends, promising applications, the appropriate use of technology, and research challenges in Edtech. What are some current challenges in the field, and how might they be overcome? Are there branches of education or of technology that are frequently overlooked or forgotten when we have these conversations? How can funders, researchers, and developers each contribute to ensure that technology-based tools are both useful and of high quality?

MODERATORS

Elizabeth Albro, Comissioner, National Center for Education Research (NCER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education
José Blackorby, CAST, Inc.

PRESENTERS

Maithilee Kunda, Vanderbilt University
Krista Marks, Woot Math
Erin Ottmar, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Nicole Russo-Ponsaran, Rush NeuroBehavioral Center

Bio

Jason Sachs joined Boston Public Schools (BPS) as Director of Early Childhood in 2005 to oversee the expansion of Kindergarten 1 classes and coordinate kindergarten and preschool programs for three-, four-, and five-year-olds. In 2017 he was promoted to Executive Director of the Preschool to 2nd grade office. Since the inception of the Early Childhood Department, Dr. Sachs has led an effort to deliver a universal high-quality system of early childhood programs for BPS, including the successful implementation of the PreK-2nd grade curriculum, a professional development system for teachers and principals, and a comprehensive evaluation system of both classroom quality and child outcomes; as well as the expansion of classrooms accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in Boston – all of which help prepare students for successful transition into the elementary grades. Previously, Dr. Sachs worked for six years in the Massachusetts Department of Education’s Early Learning Services division as a research and policy consultant. He was also a former board member of NAEYC. He graduated from the Los Angeles Unified School District and received his master’s in applied child development from Tufts University. He obtained his Ed.D. from the Harvard School of Education.

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Working Together to Better Inform Policy and Practice
Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are key to improving the utility and influence of education research. In this session, a group of panelists, including a postsecondary researcher and former higher education administrator, early childhood research/practice partners, and an education policy consultant with expertise in special education, will discuss the role of education research in policymaking and practice. Topics of discussion will include examples of and strategies for bridging the worlds of practice, policy, and research; opportunities and challenges around collaboration; and strategies for making research more policy and practice ready.

MODERATORS

Laura Booker, Tennessee Department of Education
Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

PRESENTERS

Alexandra Logue, The City University of New York
Jason Sachs, Boston Public Schools
Christina Weiland, University of Michigan
Jane West, University of Maryland

Bio

Before joining IES, Mark Schneider was a Vice President and an Institute Fellow at American Institutes for Research (AIR) and President of College Measures. Prior to joining AIR, Dr. Schneider served as Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics from 2005 – 2008. In 2013, the Chronicle of Higher Education selected him as one of the 10 people who had the most impact on higher education policy that year.

He is the author of numerous articles and books on education policy. His most recent book, The University Next Door, edited with KC Deane, was published in 2014 by Teachers College, Columbia University. Other books include Getting to Graduation, edited with Andrew Kelly and published in 2012 by Johns Hopkins University Press; Higher Education Accountability, edited with Kevin Carey and published by Palgrave in 2010; and Charter Schools: Hope or Hype?, written with Jack Buckley and published by Princeton University Press in 2007. Schneider's 2000 book, Choosing Schools, also published by Princeton University Press, won the Policy Study Organization’s Aaron Wildavsky Best Book Award.

Dr. Schneider was a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of political science at the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Opening Plenary: IES Director's Welcome
Wednesday, January 9, 2019 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

PRESENTER

Mark Schneider, Director, Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

Bio

Christina Weiland is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the effects of early childhood interventions and public policies on children’s development, especially on children from low-income families. Dr. Weiland is particularly interested in the active ingredients that drive children’s gains in at-scale public preschool programs. Her work has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Smith-Richardson Foundation, Chile’s Ministry of Education, and the University of Michigan. She has won awards from multiple professional organizations for her work, including a 2013 Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Best Dissertation Award, a 2014 National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, and the 2018 Association for Education Finance and Policy Early Career Award. She holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, an M.A. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an Ed.D. in quantitative policy analysis in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Twitter
@weilanch

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Working Together to Better Inform Policy and Practice
Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are key to improving the utility and influence of education research. In this session, a group of panelists, including a postsecondary researcher and former higher education administrator, early childhood research/practice partners, and an education policy consultant with expertise in special education, will discuss the role of education research in policymaking and practice. Topics of discussion will include examples of and strategies for bridging the worlds of practice, policy, and research; opportunities and challenges around collaboration; and strategies for making research more policy and practice ready.

MODERATORS

Laura Booker, Tennessee Department of Education
Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

PRESENTERS

Alexandra Logue, The City University of New York
Jason Sachs, Boston Public Schools
Christina Weiland, University of Michigan
Jane West, University of Maryland

Bio

A former special education teacher and administrator, Jane West is a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland and Policy Advisor to several national education organizations, including the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, the National Network of State Teacher of the Year, the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education, and the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children. Focusing on bringing the voice of expert education practitioners into the national policy dialogue, Dr. West supports professionals, including teacher educators, expert teachers, researchers, principals, and doctoral students, in engaging in the policymaking process by honing their message, supporting it with evidence, engaging at the right time during the process, and building effective political alliances. Among her many accomplishments, Dr. West led the effort to build an influential 100-organization coalition, the Coalition for Teaching Quality, to advocate for a professional continuum for teaching and leadership with a focus on a diverse workforce and bringing the most accomplished educators to the students with greatest need. She also contributed to multiple legislative provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act that promote teacher leadership and comprehensive educator preparation to address critical teacher shortages and recruitment and retention challenges, particularly for diverse student populations and high-need schools. She edited two books about the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law she participated in crafting. Dr. West holds a B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara, an M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Ph.D.in special education from the University of Maryland.

Twitter
@janewestdc

Related Sessions

International Ballroom Center Plenary Session: Working Together to Better Inform Policy and Practice
Thursday, January 10, 2019 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM

DESCRIPTION

Collaborations among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are key to improving the utility and influence of education research. In this session, a group of panelists, including a postsecondary researcher and former higher education administrator, early childhood research/practice partners, and an education policy consultant with expertise in special education, will discuss the role of education research in policymaking and practice. Topics of discussion will include examples of and strategies for bridging the worlds of practice, policy, and research; opportunities and challenges around collaboration; and strategies for making research more policy and practice ready.

MODERATORS

Laura Booker, Tennessee Department of Education
Joan McLaughlin, Commissioner, National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education

PRESENTERS

Alexandra Logue, The City University of New York
Jason Sachs, Boston Public Schools
Christina Weiland, University of Michigan
Jane West, University of Maryland

Plenary Speakers

Elizabeth Albro

José Blackorby

Laura Neergaard Booker

Maithilee Kunda

Alexandra Logue

Krista Marks

Joan McLaughlin

Erin Ottmar

Nicole Russo-Ponsaran

Jason Sachs

Mark Schneider

Christina Weiland

Jane West