Evaluation Team

Dr. Gary Miron is serving as the project director for the team from The Evaluation Center which is responsible for conducting surveys of teachers and administrators, as well as analyzing student achievement data. At The Evaluation Center, Dr. Miron is Chief of Staff and Professor of Education. The Evaluation Center has a 40-year track record of conducting independent evaluations for accountability and/or improvement across multiple sectors. Dr. Miron has extensive experience in directing large scale evaluations of education policies and school reforms. In addition to his research and evaluation experience, Dr. Miron has taught in high schools in Michigan, as well as universities in China, Sweden, and the USA.

Dr. Liesel Ritchie is a key member of our evaluation team. She recently joined The Evaluation Center as a Senior Research Associate, coming to us from The Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State University where she worked for more than a decade. Dr. Ritchie has in-depth experience in evaluation and research design and has managed numerous evaluation projects for NASA and the U.S. Department of Education.

Ms. Anne Cullen will be serving as Project Manager for this evaluation. Ms. Cullen is another recent addition to The Evaluation Center and holds an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University. She has experience designing, managing, and evaluating agricultural and educational projects in Michigan and internationally.

Dr. Jerry Horn served as the national president for the Association for the Education of Teachers in Science (AETS) and the National Rural Education Association (NREA), as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA). As a Principal Research Associate at The Evaluation Center, Dr Horn led evaluations of a number of educational initiatives, including the charter school programs in Michigan and Connecticut.

Mr. Joe Fee is the Systems Specialist at The Evaluation Center and will be providing invaluable IT support in administering the teachers survey. Mr. Fee has extensive experience developing custom applications and databases for large evaluation projects.

Dr. Brenda Nixon is the Assistant Director of the LSU Gordon A. Cain Center for Scientific, Technological, Engineering and Mathematical Literacy and will serve as project director for the team from LSU which is responsible for site visits to schools. The Cain Center is an education research and outreach facility with its primary mission to conduct research that continually improves PK-16+ teaching and learning. As fellow Louisianans, the staff understands the rich culture and traditions of the state and works daily under the state education mandates. Dr. Nixon’s background includes serving as a classroom teacher, district assessment and science specialist, university/school liaison with the Louisiana Systemic Initiative Program and director of the Delta Rural Systemic Initiatives Program. She has extensive experience evaluating the impact of large-scale education programs.

Dr. James J. Madden, Professor of Mathematics at LSU, is involved in designing and evaluating pre- service training and professional development for mathematics teachers and is currently leading research in assessing programmatic impact through classroom observations.

Ms. Belinda Brand is a former middle and high school mathematics teacher and is currently a doctoral student with an emphasis on assessment and evaluation. She provides professional development to middle and high school teachers and is also the project coordinator for the Louisiana Systemic Initiative Program.

Dr. Frank Neubrander, Professor in the Mathematics Department, is one of the chief architects of LSU’s redesigned secondary education program and helped establish the MathVision Laboratory. He has been instrumental in improving instruction through professional development and his diverse research.

Dr. Pamela B. Blanchard, Assistant Professor in the LSU Department of Curriculum and Instruction, began her career as a classroom teacher. She served as the Louisiana Sea Grant's Science Education Coordinator for five years where she developed and evaluated programs to support informal education outreach initiatives in marine and coastal science.