Susanne James-Burdumy is an expert in the design and conduct of rigorous evaluations of educational programs and interventions.
James-Burdumy has directed many of Mathematica’s largest and most complex education projects. She currently directs two large national evaluations of professional development for educators funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the first focused on coaching and other supports for principals and the second focused on coaching for teachers based on video recordings of their classroom instruction. She is also co-principal investigator on the national evaluation of Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants (an evaluation she directed for its first five years).
In past work for the U.S. Department of Education, she directed an evaluation of mandatory-random student drug testing programs and an evaluation of reading comprehension programs for fifth-grade students, and was deputy director of the large national random assignment study of 21st Century Community Learning Center after-school programs. She also served as the principal investigator of the adolescent literacy and beginning reading topic areas of the What Works Clearinghouse.
Previously, James-Burdumy directed a random assignment study to evaluate Playworks, a program that provides elementary school students with opportunities for physical activity and play during the school day. She also directed an evaluation of high school reform efforts in Boston Public Schools.
In addition to her own research, James-Burdumy is the Director of Mathematica’s federal education work, a role in which she provides oversight and support to the large number of projects and proposals that Mathematica carries out for the U.S. Department of Education. She has published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, Economic Inquiry, Journal of Urban Health, Journal of Labor Economics, Journal of Adolescent Health, Preventive Medicine, and the Journal of School Health. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Johns Hopkins University.
Principals can play an important role in improving instruction and student achievement in their schools. Many professional development programs focus on strengthening principals’ leadership skills.
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