I am interested in evaluation of large scale, multi-site initiatives, especially those involving special populations such as very young children and their families, students with disabilities, and members of traditionally underrepresented groups. My research has focused on the use of participatory designs and qualitative and quantitative methods in these large complex projects. I am also interested in technical and policy issues surrounding the inclusion of students with diverse educational needs in assessment based accountability initiatives. I have evaluated or done research on the evaluation of a number of initiatives including: NCLB, Head Start, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Part H of IDEA, the transition requirements of IDEA, Goals 2000 legislation, and the National Youth Sports Program.
At present I am most involved in a study of multi-level policy implementation, that is, what happens to a federal mandate as it moves through federal, state and local implementation. I hope that what we learn from this study will help us develop better ways to design and evaluate the local impact of federal policy.
I would like to continue to work on ways of improving the evaluation of large scale systemic initiatives by way of understanding how evaluation information is used by key policy makers at the state and federal level (there is considerable disagreement about this in the literature) by studying the formulation through implementation process of a particular piece (or a few pieces) of education legislation.
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College of Education
Quantitative and Evaluative Research Methodologies
http://education.illinois.edu/frp/edpsy/destefan
Faculty Research Profiles: Lizanne DeStefano
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Professor
Quantitative and Evaluative Research Methodologies
Educational Psychology
Educational Psychology
1310 S. 6th St. MC 708
Champaign, IL 61820USA
Section Links
- Research Biography
- Degrees
- Key Professional Appointments
- Activities & Honors
- Grants
- Selected Publications
Research Biography
Degrees
- Ph.D., Educational Psychology/ School Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, 1986
- M.Ed., Special Education, University of Pittsburgh, 1979
- B.S., Physiological Psychology/Statistics, University of Pittsburgh, 1978
Key Professional Appointments
- Director, I-STEM Education Initiative, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2009--
- Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2000--
- Executive Associate Dean for Research and Administration, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007-2009
- Director, Bureau of Educational Research, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995-2009
- Associate Dean for Research, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995-2007
- Department Chairperson, Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998-2000
- Associate Professor, Associate Chairperson from 1994 to 1995, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1994-1999
- Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1989-1994
Activities & Honors
- Panel Member, National Center for Educational Statistics, 2007-2009
- Panel Member, National Academy of Education, 2007-2008
- Stafford Faculty Fellow, Institute on Leadership, Disability, and Students Placed at Risk, University of Vermont, 2003- present
- Fellow, Academic Leadership Program, Committee on Institutional Cooperation , 1993-1994
Grants
- Advisor, Mathematics Science Partnership: Sense-Making in Science and Mathematics, Illinois State Board of Education, 2007
- Principal Investigator, Evaluation of Charting a Course to Literacy: ERF in Chicago Charter Schools, U.S. Department of Education (University of Chicago), 2006
- Co-Principal Investigator, Advancing the State-of-the-Art in Evaluation: Field-Testing and Disseminating an Educative, Values-Engaged Approach to Evaluating STEM Education Programs, National Science Foundation, 2006
- Principal Investigator, External Evaluation of the Advanced Reading Development Demonstration Project, Phase II, Chicago Community Trust, 2005
- Principal Investigator, The Evaluation of the Illinois Learning Standards Implementation, Illinois State Board of Education, 2005
- Principal Investigator, Evaluation of the TBLC Program at Truman College of Education, Lumina Foundation for Education (Harry S. Truman College), 2004
- Co-Principal Investigator, The Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS), National Science Foundation (College of Engineering), 2003
Selected Publications
- DeStefano, L. et al. (2008). Partnerships for improving literacy in urban schools. The Reading Teacher, 61(8), 674-680.
- Shriner, J., & DeStefano, L. (2007). Assessment accommodation considerations for middle school students with disabilities. In C. C. Laitusis & L. L. Cook (Eds.), Large scale assessment accomodations: What works? Princeton, NJ: ETS.
- Daro, P., Stancavage, F., Ortega, M., DeStefano, L., & Linn, R. (2008). Validity study of the NAEP mathematics assessment: Grades 4 and 8. Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics.
- Greene, J. C., DeStefano, L., Burgon, H., & Hall, J. (2006). An educative, values-engaged approach to evaluating STEM educational programs. In D. Huffman & F. Lawrenz (Eds.), Critical issues in STEM evaluation (special issue). New Directions for Evaluation, 109 , 53-71 More about this publication...
- Shriner, J. & DeStefano, L. (2003). Participation and accomodation in state assessment: The role of Individualized Educational Programs. Exceptional Children, 69(2), 147-161.