Dr. Daniel Long is a Senior Research Scientist at NWEA, a division of HMH, conducting policy research and MAP Growth data analysis for partner states and districts.

Broadly, Michael Gaddis’s work provides evidence of inequality in the US related to race/ethnicity, social class, and education. He studies educational inequality across five dimensions: (1) the effects of educational credentials on important life outcomes, including employment and health; (2) when and how educational credentials attenuate or exacerbate racial/ethnic discrimination; (3) intergenerational mobility as it relates to the direct and indirect effects of educational attainment across generations; (4) differences in students’ mental health and campus-level stigma across college and universities and the subsequent impact on academic achievement and attainment; and (5) racial/ethnic and SES inequalities in cultural capital and social capital and their effects on academic achievement and attainment among K–12 students. 

Ayesha K. Hashim uses interdisciplinary and mixed-methods research designs to study the impacts of district-level school policies on student learning, and the leadership, organizational, and implementation conditions that can explain observed results.

Andrew Hegedus consulted with education system leaders around the world; prototyped, launched, and supported state-of-the-art reports; and managed research projects focused on understanding the drivers for growth in schools with differing levels of challenges.

Ann Hu works mainly on MAP Growth assessments. Her research interests include linking studies between formative and summative assessments, item bank development and maintenance, adaptive testing engines, test security, and norms studies. She has extensive experience in conducting psychometric analyses and research based on Rasch models and IRT, constructing fixed forms and CATs, and designing and conducting standard settings. Prior to joining NWEA in 2017, Dr. Hu worked at Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) on multiple large-scale achievement testing programs for Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, and Minnesota. Dr. Hu holds a doctorate in measurement, evaluation, and cognition from the University of Alberta. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a MEd in educational psychology.

G. Gage Kingsbury provides advice and development work in the application of technology to practical assessment situations. He designed the first adaptive tests used in educational settings and helped design adaptive tests currently administered to K–12 students throughout the United States and in a wide variety of international schools.

Dr. Susan M. Kowalski is a Lead Research Scientist at NWEA, focusing on the intersection of educational policy and science instruction in the United States.

Megan Kuhfeld seeks to understand students’ trajectories of academic and social-emotional learning and the school and neighborhood influences that promote optimal growth.

Karyn Lewis is Vice President of Research and Policy Partnerships at NWEA, where she leads a team dedicated to generating actionable, policy-relevant research that directly addresses critical challenges in K–12 education.

Xueming (Sylvia) Li specializes in psychometric operations and research for MAP Growth and state summative assessments, with a focus on computer-based testing, item response theory (IRT), large language models (LLMs), test validity, cross-cultural assessment, and test score linking and equating.

Tyler Matta is motived to improve the tools used for educational decision making to support the building of equitable educational systems. His work spans computational psychometrics, learning theory, and education policy.

Patrick Meyer manages a team of psychometricians, data analysts, and technical writers responsible for large-scale assessments at NWEA.

Scott J. Peters specializes in educational assessment and data use, gifted and talented student identification, equity within advanced educational opportunities, and effectiveness of educational policy.

Senior Vice President Beth Tarasawa is an industry leader in Learning Sciences and oversees HMH’s Efficacy Research, Psychometrics & Analytics, and Research & Policy Partnerships teams.