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May 2010


Staff News

Sheila Thompson

Sheila Thompson

Sheila Thompson is a new senior research scientist in NCES' Early Childhood, International and Crosscutting Studies Division, International Activities Program. In this role, Sheila will work on the TIMSS-NAEP 2011 linking study. Sheila's extensive research and education gained from her work at Precision Research & Evaluation, LLC, the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk, and the Maryland State Department of Education will be an asset to the International Activities Program. Sheila also chaired the Minority Issues and Testing Committee of the National Council on Measurement in Education and served on the Design and Analysis Committee of the National Assessment Governing Board. Sheila holds a doctorate from Howard University in educational psychology with a specialization in research methodology and evaluation.



Carolyn Grim Fidelman

Carolyn Grim Fidelman

Carolyn Grim Fidelman recently joined NCES as a research scientist in the Early Childhood, International and Crosscutting Studies Division. In this capacity, Carolyn will provide technical advice in the areas of cognitive assessments, multilingual data collection issues, and statistical approaches to data analysis. Her expertise in the areas of applied linguistics, measurement and statistical research methods, and psychometric analyses will be invaluable in the development of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS-K: 2011). Before joining NCES, Carolyn was at the Center for Applied Linguistics where she worked on developing designs and methodologies for various projects. She also served as a measurement specialist to help develop a standardized assessment for English language learners. Carolyn holds a doctorate in educational research, measurement, and evaluation from Boston College.

Visit the ECLS-K: 2011 website for more information about the new study.

IES Staff Explore Teaching Quality Research During First Cross-Center Brown Bag

About 40 IES staff members from all four centers gathered during a lunch hour this month to examine the elements of good teaching and discuss the New York Times Magazine article "Building A Better Teacher." The open discussion focused on the main themes of the article and the role IES Centers could play in building the research base around effective teaching. Participants discussed the elements of good teaching, the role of teacher preparation programs and professional development, and the methodological complexity of studying teaching practice.

The next brown bag will be held in July. The ongoing goals of the new brown bag series are three-fold: to increase knowledge of IES people, projects, and products within particular subject areas; to provide an opportunity for IES staff to elaborate and deepen their thinking on important educational issues; and to facilitate greater coherence and cohesiveness of IES work.