Our team currently includes three research faculty members, a number of administrative and research support staff, along with affiliated faculty from several University departments and research assistants. Our research assistants are graduate students, mostly advanced doctoral students, from a range of University departments and programs.
Director, Research Professor
tsdicken@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-3402
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Educational Research and Measurement, University of South Carolina
Research Interests: Multilevel modeling, Quasi-experimental Designs, Item Response Theory, Program Evaluation
Research Assistant Professor
damico@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-8072
Terminal Degree: Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, University of South Carolina
Research Interests: Early Childhood Education, Student Assessment, and Utilization-Focused Evaluation
Research Associate Professor
lewisaa2@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-5090
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education, University of South Carolina
Research Interests: : Culturally Responsive Evaluation, Utilization-focused Evaluation, Qualitative Methodologies
in Evaluation, Performance Assessment in the Arts, and Arts Education Research
Grants Manager
KURZEJA@mailbox.sc.edu
Research Associate
dawnrc@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-2335
Current Degree Program: Enrolled, Ph.D. in Educational Research
Research Interests: Program Evaluation, Data Visualization and Reporting, Community College Reform
Research Associate
fan9@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-3459
Terminal Degree : Ph.D. in Educational Research and Measurement, University of South Carolina
Research Interests:, Teacher Professional Development, Classroom Assessment, Quasi-experimental Design,
Cognitive Learning Strategies
Research Associate
bnelson@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-3384
Current Degree Program: Enrolled, Ph.D. in Educational Foundations
Research Interests: P-20 Education, College Readiness, Special Education, Disability Critical Race Studies,
and Intercollegiate Athletics
Research Associate
wesths@email.sc.edu
803-777-7140
Terminal Degree: Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research, University of South Carolina
Research interests: Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Child Growth and Development in the Context
of Poverty, Qualitative Research, Mixed-Methods Research, Classroom and Student Assessments
Research Associate
zhang29@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-3459
Terminal Degree: Master's in Educational Research and Measurement, University of South Carolina
Research Interests: Performance Assessment, Classroom Assessment
Research Assistant
arrasmik@email.sc.edu
803-777-7179
Program of Study: Ph.D. in Music Education
Research Interests: creativity, early childhood music development, improvisation, music literacy, play
Research Assistant
crooksj@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-9918
Current Degree Program: Enrolled, Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning
Research Interests: Math education
Research Assistant
deshong@email.sc.edu
Program of Study: Master of Social Work with a specialization in Health and Mental Health
Research Interests: Discovering what motivates people to engage in a change process, both at an individual
level and at a macro level
Research Assistant
njiang@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-0324
Current Degree Program: Enrolled, M.Ed. in Educational Research and Measurement, University of South Carolina
Research Interests: Classroom Assessment, Quasi-experimental Design
Research Assistant
leverage@email.sc.edu
Current Degree Program: Ed. S in Counselor Education with a specialization in Clinical Mental Health Counseling,
University of South Carolina; also pursuing Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy
Research Interests: the impacts of trauma and toxic stress on child development and strategies to reduce
achievement gaps in early childhood and elementary education.
Research Assistant
803-777-0324
Pan6@email.sc.edu
Research Assistant
bdr1@mailbox.sc.edu
803-777-0324
Current Degree Program: Enrolled, Ph.D. in Educational Research and Measurement, University of South Carolina
Research Interests: Psychometrics, Policy Application
Research Assistant
jiali@email.sc.edu
803-777-2335
Current Degree Program: Enrolled, Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Research, University of South Carolina
Research Interests: Self-regulated learning, social-emotional well-being, language development, peer relations,
poverty and achievement gap.