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Michael C. Vaden-Kiernan
Director of Research & Evaluation

Michael Vaden-Kiernan is SEDL's Director of Research & Evaluation. In this role, he provides oversight and support to all of SEDL’s research and evaluation activities. Currently, Dr. Vaden-Kiernan is leading a national, large-scale, 4-year cluster randomized trial assessing the effectiveness of the Open Court Reading program, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences National Center for Education Research, and a 3-year quasi-experimental study evaluating an innovative early literacy curriculum as part of an Early Reading First grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, he manages all evaluation studies conducted by SEDL, including current evaluations of the Texas and Southeast Comprehensive Centers, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, and evaluations of two science and space programs developed by the Lunar Planetary Institute and funded through NASA. Dr. Vaden-Kiernan also serves on the SEDL Management Council.

Contact Information
You may contact Michael C. Vaden-Kiernan at 512-391-6562

or by using SEDL's contact form.

Areas of Expertise
Dr. Vaden-Kiernan has more than 15 years of experience designing and implementing rigorous research and evaluation studies to address education policy questions. His research interests include early childhood education, assessment of literacy and reading interventions, comprehensive school reform, community and neighborhood research and measurement, experimental and non-experimental research designs and management, large-scale assessment, and mixed-methods data collection and analysis.

Experience
Dr. Vaden-Kiernan joined SEDL in March 2005. He has spent the majority of his professional career conducting research and evaluation studies for agencies with the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Health and Human Services. From 1995 to 2005, he served as a project director and senior research analyst with Abt Associates and then with the CDM Group, during which time his work focused on the areas of education, child development, and family studies. He has also worked on a number of federally funded K–12 and early-childhood education evaluations and has presented his work at numerous professional conferences and in peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and technical reports.

In 2006, Dr. Vaden-Kiernan received SEDL's Rogers L. Barton Award, a Presidential Award given annually to honor outstanding contributions to SEDL’s educational research and development.

Education
Dr. Vaden-Kiernan holds a BA in psychology from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and both a master’s degree and a PhD in community psychology from the University of Virginia. He was also a post-doctoral fellow at the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

SEDL Publications

• Bright Futures: Early Reading First Year Three Summary Evaluation Report (2010)
• 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)
• Evaluation of Madison Parish Bright Futures Early Reading First Grant (2008)
• 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)
• Rapid Response: Early Childhood Education Curricula and Programs for PreK Students (2008)
• Rapid Response: State Policies for Parental Notification of Response to Intervention Processes (2008)
• Arkansas Education Renewal Zones Initiative - 2007 Final Evaluation Report (2007)
• Getting Smart About Teacher Pay: (Insights on Education Policy, Practice, and Research, Number 19) (2006)
• National Partnership Begins Work on Large-Scale Efficacy Trials of Promising Afterschool Programs, SEDL Letter, Volume XVlll, Number 3 (2006)
• SEDL's Working Systemically Model: Final Report (2006)
• Teacher Resources and Student Achievement in High-Need Schools (2006)
• Enhancing Data Use and Quality to Shape Education Policy: (Insights on Education Policy, Practice, and Research, Number 18) (2005)

Selected External Publications

• Vaden-Kiernan, M., D’Elio, M. A., O’Brien, R. W., Tarullo, L. B., Zill, N., & Hubbell-McKey, R. (in press). Neighborhoods as a developmental context: A multilevel analysis of neighborhood effects on Head Start families and children. American Journal of Community Psychology.
• O’ Brien, R. W., D’Elio, M. A., Vaden-Kiernan, M., Magee, C., Younoszai, T., Keane, . . . & Hailey, L. (2002). A descriptive study of Head Start families: FACES technical report I (Final Report). Report prepared for the Research, Evaluation and Demonstration Branch, the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Administration for Children and Families. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2001, June). The systemic change study of the Efficacy Initiative in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Report submitted to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, MI, and the Efficacy Institute, Wortham, MA.
• Zill, N., Resnick, G., McKey, R. H., Clark, C., Pai-Samant, S., Connell, D., Vaden-Kiernan, M., . . . & D’Elio, M. A. (2001). Head Start program performance measures: Third progress report. Report prepared for the Research, Evaluation, and Demonstration Branch, the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Administration for Children and Families. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
• Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Puma, M. (2000, August). Evaluation of the Efficacy Initiative in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Research Improvement, Washington, DC, and the Efficacy Institute, Lexington, MA.
• Vaden-Kiernan, M., Ricciuti, A., Beckford, I., Karweit, N., & Puma, M. (1997, November). Evaluation of the Efficacy Initiative: A retrospective look at the Tacoma School District. Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Research Improvement, Washington, DC, and the Efficacy Institute, Lexington, MA.
• Puma, M., Karweit, N., Price, C., Ricciuti, A., Thompson, W., & Vaden-Kiernan, M. (1997). Prospects: Final report on student outcomes. Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Education Planning and Evaluation Service.

Selected Presentations

• Caverly, S., Rudo, Z. H., & Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2009, April). Staffing and staff development in high quality afterschool programs. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
• D’Elio, M. A., O’Brien, R. W., Pai-Samant, S., Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2008, June). Head Start children and families at risk: Can classroom quality protect the children from negative cognitive and emotional outcomes? Poster presented at the Ninth National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
• Lumbley, J., Raphael, L., & Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2008, April). Evaluation of SEDL services provided to Recovery School District literacy coaches. Briefing report presented to the Recovery School District.  
• Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Caverly, S. (2008, April). Evaluation of Madison Parish Bright Futures Early Reading First grant. Briefing report presented to the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Early Reading First (ERF) federal monitoring team.  
• Rudo, Z., Caverly, S., & Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2008, March). Education renewal zones: Increasing partnerships and sharing resources for school improvement. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
• McCann, E., & Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2007). The evaluation of Texas A&M University System’s support activities related to the limited English proficient student success initiative. Final report and briefing presented to the Texas Education Agency, Austin, TX.
• Alexander, C., Jones, D. H., Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Rudo, Z. H. (2006, April). Teacher resources and mathematics achievement in Texas schools. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
• Herbert, K. S., Bond Huie, S. A., Buttram, J. L., Murphy, K. M., Ramos, M. A., & Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2006, April). Takings standards-based reform to the classroom: Working systematically to improve student achievement. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
• Jones, D. H., Alexander, C., Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Rudo, Z. (2006, April). Teacher resources in high-need rural schools in Texas. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
• Vaden-Kiernan,  M., & D’Elio, M. A. (2005, April). Neighborhoods as a developmental context: The effect of Census 2000 neighborhood factors on outcomes for Head Start children. Presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Bi-Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
• D'Elio, M. A., O'Brien, R. W., Vaden-Kiernan, M., & Grayton, C. (2004, June). How does Head Start serve at-risk families? Part of an invited symposium presented at the Seventh National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
• O’Brien, R. W., D’Elio, M. A., Grayton, C., & Vaden-Kiernan, M. (2004, June). Exploring the effects of family risk factors over time. Part of an invited symposium presented at the Seventh National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
• Pai-Samant, S., Hubbell-McKey, R., Lopez, D. F., O'Brien, R. W., Vaden-Kiernan,  M., & D'Elio, M. A. (2004, June). The relationship between child attendance, child outcomes, parent and teacher characteristics, and classroom quality. Part of an invited symposium presented at the Seventh National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
• Vaden-Kiernan,  M., D’Elio, M. A., & O’Brien, R. W. (2004, June). Understanding the role of neighborhoods in Head Start children’s developmental outcomes. Part of an invited symposium presented at the Seventh National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
• D’Elio, M. A., O’Brien, R. W., & Vaden-Kiernan,  M. (2003, April). Studying family and risk protective factors: Relationships with behavior and achievement in Head Start children. Presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Bi-Annual Meeting, Tampa Bay, FL.
• Vaden-Kiernan,  M., & D’Elio, M. A. (2003, April). Neighborhoods as a developmental context: The effect of neighborhood factors on family and child outcomes for Head Start families. Presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Bi-Annual Meeting, Tampa Bay, FL.
• O'Brien, R. W., Vaden-Kiernan, M., McKey, R. H., & Pai-Samant, S.  (2002, June). Exploring diversity among Head Start families. Part of an invited symposium, A Tapestry of Head Start Families: Challenges They Face and Strengths They Possess—Findings from the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), presented at the National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
• Vaden-Kiernan, M., D’Elio, M. A., Rothenberg, A. K., & O’Brien, R.W. (2002, June). Evidence of strength and resilience in Head Start families. Part of an invited symposium, A Tapestry of Head Start Families: Challenges They Face and Strengths They Possess— Findings from the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), presented at the National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.
• Vaden-Kiernan, M., D’Elio, M. A., Hailey, L., & O’Brien, R. (2001, April). Do neighborhoods matter? Exploring relationships between neighborhood characteristics and family and child outcomes: The FACES Case Study overview. Part of a symposium, Longitudinal Findings from the Head Start FACES Study: Family, Neighborhood and Preschool Quality Factors in School Readiness, presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Bi-Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
• Vaden-Kiernan, M., & D’Elio, M. A. (2000, June). The FACES Case Study overview. Part of the Research, Demonstration and Evaluation Branch Symposium on the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) presented at the National Head Start Research Conference, Washington, DC.