🔬 Research

Research & Publications

An overview of the research, publications, and expertise that drive my work in education.

Genesis of Research

My path to research began when I first started as a CFO for a startup Edtech company, developing a prototype School Information System to help educators generate reports for decision making. The genesis of the idea came from the difficulty of writing Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) without a central database. Through our development, we were able to cut down the time of writing IEPs from hours to minutes.

Although the company never went to market, I became fascinated with how data practices could aid educational leaders. This is why I began doctoral research on this topic, focusing on how leaders perceive their abilities, how they use data daily, and their confidence in doing so. My goal is to use this research to develop a curriculum for administrator and teacher preparation programs to build capacity in data-driven decision-making to best support the students they serve.

Research Expertise

Instructional Strategy Integration with EdTech

My goal has always been to take research-driven strategies that help students learn and to integrate them with EdTech tools to further amplify the strategy and the learning that takes place.

Leadership Efficacy & Data Use

How do leaders perceive their abilities? By learning how educational leaders perceive their data use, we can determine which data practices are proficient amongst educators as well as data practices that need to be taught through teacher and administrator preparation programs.

Data Practices

Data practices relate to taking a set of data and organizing it to develop useful patterns by transforming it through statistical analysis. With a little creativity and innovation, the data you have at your school site and district can help teachers, administrators, and students flourish. I want to teach educators how to utilize these data practices.

Data-Driven Decision-Making

How do teachers and educational leaders make decisions? I want to help train teachers and educational leaders in various decision-making frameworks to help aid in the decisions they are going to have to make every day.

Evidence-Based Practices

This term is used by many educators, but how do we know we are using best practices? I research various methods of how to locate research and how to scrutinize it based on its design, sampling, and results. I hope to provide strategies for educators to find and utilize the best research available.

Professional Development

I have analyzed the effectiveness of traditional and non-traditional professional development in K-12 settings. Traditional, one-time trainings are common but often ineffective. Non-traditional PD, which involves smaller events over time, is more effective because it creates onus on educators to learn the content and bring it back to their colleagues.

Academic Publications

Doctoral Dissertation (2019)

Educational Leadership Efficacy: The Relationship Between Data Use, Data Use Confidence, Leadership Efficacy, and Student Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to understand the relationships between how educational leaders use data, their efficacy with data, and student achievement. Findings demonstrated that while several relationships existed among leadership efficacy and data use, constraints such as lack of time and capacity impeded the use of data by educational leaders in K-12 schools.

Masters Thesis (2015)

High School Professional Development and Funding: Effect on Student Achievement as Perceived by Teachers and Principals

Abstract

This mixed-methods study analyzed whether a correlation existed between student achievement and funds allocated to professional development. Findings showed a negative or very weak relationship, indicating funding was not a major variable. Conclusions demonstrated a need for comprehensive PD plans with higher levels of transparency and accountability.