Zena H. Rudo
Project Director
Zena Rudo is a Project Director with SEDL's Afterschool, Family, and Community program. Dr. Rudo works with the National PIRC Coordination Center to develop the annual performance reporting system for the Parental Information and Resource Centers (PIRCs) nationwide and to build the PIRCs' capacity in their evaluation efforts. She leads an evaluation of the State of Louisiana's afterschool programs and conducts research and evaluation on other critical issues in education to inform practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and other education stakeholders. Her work includes research on school support services, afterschool programming, school improvement, and family and community involvement with schools.
Contact Information
You may contact Zena H. Rudo at 512-391-6554
Dr. Rudo’s interests include research and evaluation, specifically in the areas of afterschool and expanded learning, and family and community engagement. In 2003, she received the Rogers L. Barton Award given for outstanding contributions to SEDL’s educational research and development.
- Research and Evaluation: Dr. Rudo has 15 years of experience in research and evaluation using mixed methods of data collection and analyses focused on school improvement issues. Past projects include studying the effectiveness of initiatives related to afterschool programs, family and community involvement with schools, and school improvement renewal zones. She also led policy research on education resource allocation.
- Afterschool and Expanded Learning: Dr. Rudo has worked to increase practitioners’ and policymakers’ research knowledge about out-of-school time and its impact on student and school performance. She has developed afterschool quality indicators used to evaluate afterschool programs for the California After School Demonstration Program as well as nationwide. She has also worked to translate research into practice in this area, providing guidance through professional development and written resources.
- Family and Community: Dr. Rudo has 31 years of experience in family and community practice, research, and professional development. For the past 4 years, she has provided technical assistance to 62 Parental Information and Resource Centers nationally on evaluation and performance measures. She has worked to develop and evaluate collaborative family, school, and community teams; taught family and community courses in higher education; and assisted state and national agencies to develop and implement family and community policy.
Before joining SEDL in February 1999, Dr. Rudo was an assistant professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she taught and conducted research with the College of Education's Special Education Department and the Florida Mental Health Institute for Families and Children. She also served as the coordinator of a variety of family and community initiatives while at Research Assessment Management, Inc., and the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and served for 10 years as the executive director of the Child Abuse Prevention Center of Maryland. Education
Dr. Rudo holds a BA in psychology and social work and a master's of social work from the University of Maryland. Dr. Rudo's PhD is in education from the University of South Florida. SEDL Publications
- Working Systemically in Action: Engaging Family & Community (2010)
- 2009 National PIRC Project Directors' Conference (2009)
- A Practitioner's Guide: Building and Managing Quality Afterschool Programs (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)
- What Works? Common Practices in High Functioning Afterschool Programs: The National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning Final Report (2008)
- Arkansas Education Renewal Zones Initiative - 2007 Final Evaluation Report (2007)
- Education Renewal Zones: Increasing Partnerships and Sharing Resources for School Improvement (2006)
- Getting Smart About Teacher Pay: (Insights on Education Policy, Practice, and Research, Number 19) (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)
- Investigation of Education Databases in Four States to Support Policy Research on Resource Allocation (2005)
- A Best-Fit Approach to Effective Teacher Policy: (Insights on Education Policy, Practice, and Research, Number 17) (2004)
- Examination of Resource Allocation in Education: Connecting Spending to Student Performance (2003)
- Investing in Instruction for Higher Student Achievement: (Insights on Education Policy, Practice, and Research, Number 15) (2003)
- Corrective Action in Low-Performing Schools and School Districts (2001)
- Making Education Dollars Work: Understanding Resource Allocation (Insights on Education Policy, Practice, and Research, Number 14) (2001)
- Collaborative Action Team Process: Bringing home, school, community, and students together to improve results for children and families: Final Research Report (2000)
- Creating Collaborative Action Teams: Working Together for Student Success (2000)
- Wynn, K. L., Berry, A. K., Rudo, Z. H., & Wilkerson, P. (2003). AYP compliance educator: The step by step guide to Adequate Yearly Progress and school improvement. Paramus, NJ: Madison Publications, Inc.
- Rudo, Z., Robbins, V., & Smith, D. (2002). Addressing home, school, and community violence for children with disabilities. In J. L. Paul, C. D. Lavely, A. Cranston-Gingras, & E. L. Taylor (Eds.), Rethinking professional issues in special education (pp. 119–150). Westport, CT: Ablex Publishing, an imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
- Rudo, Z. H., Powell, D., & Dunlap, G. (1998, Summer). The effects of violence in the home on children’s emotional, behavioral, and social functioning: A review of the empirical literature. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 6(2), 94–113.
- Ferguson, C., & Rudo, Z. (2010, April). Current directions in family-school-and community engagement. Presentation at the Association for Childhood Education International, Phoenix, AZ.
- Rudo, Z., Ogden, R., & Cron, D. (2010, March). Supporting improvement through policy and governance. Webinar for the Texas Comprehensive Center, SEDL, Austin, TX.
- Rudo, Z., & Jordan, C. (2009, July). Building family and community partnerships with afterschool to increase student participation and achievement. Presentation at the Annual 21st Century Community Learning Centers Summer Institute, Nashville, TN.
- Rudo, Z. (2009, April). Staffing and staff development in high quality afterschool programs. Paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
- Rudo, Z., & Parker, J. (2009, April). Quality afterschool: Practice in action. Presentation at the BOOST annual afterschool conference, Palm Springs, CA.
- Rudo, Z., & Caverly, S. (2008, April). Education Renewal Zones: Increasing partnerships and sharing resources for school improvement. Paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New York, NY.
- Rudo, Z. (2008, March). Identifying quality indicators: A study of afterschool promising practice sites. Paper presentation at the American Educational Finance Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.
- Rudo, Z., Jones, D., & Smith-Hansen, L. (2005, April). Teacher salaries and student achievement in rural areas. Paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada.
- Rudo, Z. (2005, March). Achievement gap strategies and policy considerations. Keynote presentation at the Twelfth Annual Conference on Educational Access, Pine Bluff, AR.
- Rudo, Z. (2005, February). State databases support linking resources and student performance. Presentation at the 18th Annual National Center for Education Statistics Management Information Systems Conference, New Orleans, LA.
- Rudo, Z. H., & Elder, J. O. (2000, May). Engaging schools, communities and families in collaborative action. Paper presentation at the Building on Family Strengths Conference, The Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health, Portland, OR.
- Rudo, Z. H. (2000, April). Assessing shared leadership as a tool in home-school-community partnerships. Paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
- Rudo, Z. H. (2000, April). Evaluations: Why we need them. Paper presentation at the Texas Conference on Education, Austin, TX.
- Rudo, Z. H. (2000, April). School-based collaborative teams: Evaluating process and student outcomes. Paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
