Debra H. Jones
Project Director
Debra Jones is a Project Director with SEDL's Research and Evaluation (R&E) program. Her current work includes providing leadership for the national randomized controlled trial of Open Court Reading, a 4-year study funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Dr. Jones also develops proposals to study the effectiveness of a range of programs, including reading and literacy from pre-kindergarten to adolescence and topics related to teacher quality and teacher professional development.
Contact Information
You may contact Debra H. Jones at 512-391-6569
Dr. Jones’s research interests broadly focus on the development and implementation of conceptual, methodological, and analytical strategies to conduct quantitative research, including experimental studies addressing reading, topics focused on teacher quality and professional development, and other significant education issues.
- Research and Evaluation
Dr. Jones is experienced in developing research designs and analytical strategies to conduct quantitative research. She attended the 2008 Institute for Education Sciences Summer Research Training Institute on Cluster Randomized Trials (CRT), funded by the National Center for Education Statistics, which increased her capacity to develop cluster randomized trial designs and model specifications, and analyze and interpret intervention effects. She has also contributed to the design of quasi-experimental studies to assess program effects, such as the impact of a teacher compensation reform policy using a regression discontinuity design. In addition, Dr. Jones develops research designs for proposals targeted to federal, state, and private funding sources.
- Reading and Literacy
Dr. Jones’s experience in the area of reading and literacy includes providing leadership for the national randomized controlled trial study of Open Court Reading and providing technical and analytical assistance for randomized controlled trials of afterschool reading programs targeting elementary grade-level students.
Prior to returning to SEDL in 2009, Dr. Jones worked for the organization as a subcontractor providing technical and analytical assistance and as a program associate in a policy research unit. In addition, she has served as a research associate at the Charles A. Dana Center and at the Center for Social Work Research at the University of Texas at Austin, where she conducted research on topics ranging from local welfare reform initiatives to school resource allocation. She also was an assistant professor in the Department of Family Studies and Social Work at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Education
Dr. Jones holds a BA in psychology and a PhD in human development and family studies, both from the University of Texas at Austin. SEDL Publications
- Latest Evidence on the National Staff Development Council's Standards Assessment Inventory (2009)
- The National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning Randomized Controlled Trial Studies of Promising Afterschool Programs: Summary of Findings (2009)
- Implementing Randomized Controlled Trial Studies in Afterschool Settings: The State of the Field (2008)
- Key Issues and Strategies for Recruitment and Implementation in Large-Scale Randomized Controlled Trial Studies in Afterschool Settings (2008)
- Teacher Resources and Student Achievement in High-Need Schools (2006)
- Investigation of Education Databases in Four States to Support Policy Research on Resource Allocation (2005)
- Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Jones, D. H. (2006). Efficacy trials of promising after school programs: Supporting experimental studies through a research consortium. The Evaluation Exchange, 12(1 & 2), 34.
- Teacher resources in rural, high-poverty schools in Texas. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. Jones, D. H., Alexander, C., Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Rudo, Z. (2006, April).
- Teacher resources and mathematics achievement in Texas schools. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. Alexander, C., Jones, D. H., Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Rudo, Z. (2006, April).
- Teacher salaries and student achievement in rural areas. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Montreal, Quebec. Jones, D. H., Smith-Hansen, L., & Rudo, Z. (2005, April).
- Using state databases for research, policy, and practice on instructional resources and student performance. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. Jones, D. H., Pan, D., & Kahlert, R. (2004, April).
- Using state data for research and policy regarding instructional resources and student performance. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Education Finance Association, Salt Lake City, UT. Smith-Hansen, L., Jones, D. H., Rudo, Z, & Pan, D. (2004, March).
- Allocating resources in an education reform environment: Findings from 12 school districts. Paper presented at the Southwest Educational Research Association, Dallas, TX. Jones, D. H., Pan, D., & Rudo, Z. H. (2004, February).
- School district resource allocation: Research findings and recommendations. Paper presented at the Texas Association of School Boards/Texas Association of School Associations, 43rd Annual Convention, Dallas, TX. Rudo, Z. H., Pan, D., Hughes, D. K., & Kahlert, R. (2003, September).