PROJECTS

Projects at the Center

In addition to our work providing services to teams, school districts, and other organizations, Rutgers CESP also leads or partners on a number of projects spanning multiple domains. Thanks to the center's highly skilled team and decades of experience, Rutgers CESP frequently secures funding from local, state, and federal government agencies as well as private corporations and foundations. Since 2010, Rutgers CESP has secured over $22 million of funding through competitive awards and contracts, developing an expansive portfolio of research grants, program evaluations, and other initiatives to support practitioners and other professionals within and beyond education.

Explore a selection of the center's projects below. We are an agile team, well positioned to identify and respond to intersectional problems of practice in many contexts, from education and educational policy to workforce development, public health, training programs, and beyond. If you are searching for an experienced and thoughtful partner for your next grant, or looking to bring a project to fruition, let's connect.

Educational Research, Practice, & Policy

Extending the CS Pipeline: Enhancing Rigor and Relevance in Middle School CS	2021-2026	U.S. Department of Education	Rutgers researchers are collaborating with partner schools and industry and education experts to develop and implement a technical assistance framework that involves tailored, purposeful professional learning in the integration and expansion of middle school computer science (CS), with a focus on universal access to computer science education.
The Computer Science Teaching and Learning Collaboratory (CS-TLC)	2018-2022	National Science Foundation	A researcher-practitioner partnership between NJ and PA school districts and Rutgers, CS-TLC aims to broaden the participation of historically underrepresented student populations in computer science through rigorous and equitable practices.
iStronG (Inclusive, Strong, and Green): A Student-Centered Systems Thinking, Place-Based, and Technology-Driven Curriculum	2018-2022	National Science Foundation	iStronG involved development and implementation of the curriculum as well as training for college access professionals (program staff from four Upward Bound programs) who would be teaching and working with students.
Leadership & iSTEAM for Females in Elementary School (LiFE)	2018-2021	National Science Foundation	CESP served as external evaluator for LiFE by gathering data to inform the project team about needs and effective practices to share successes and improve project effectiveness.
Diverse Teachers for Diverse Schools	2018-2020	New Jersey Department of Education	Influenced by research demonstrating gains in learning for minority students taught by teachers from similar backgrounds, this collaboration with a consortia of charter schools addressed teacher recruitment, mentoring, and induction strategies.
Regional Education Laboratory Mid-Atlantic (RELMA)	2012-2017	Institute of Education Sciences	Dr. Blitz served as the Research Alliance (RA) Task Lead, fostering partnerships with regional stakeholders.

Training & Development

Biomedical Excellence Achieved through Coaching Networks (BEACON)	2023-2028	National Institutes of Health	Hypothesis-driven research examines the impact of individualized coaching on biomedical Ph.D. students in terms of short-term outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy, resilience, reduced anxiety, depression) and sustained positive effects (degree persistence, goal attainment, ease in career transitions, tangible scholarly outputs).
Rutgers Computer Science Education Professional Learning Hub	2021-2022	New Jersey Department of Education	The center collaborated with the university’s computer science department to establish, maintain, and expand a central New Jersey-based hub offering access to differentiated and sustained computer science education professional learning opportunities.
New Jersey Early Learning Training Academy (NJ-ELTA)	2014-2016	New Jersey Department of Education	This professional development initiative aimed to create and deliver research-based training and technical assistance to early childhood educators and key stakeholders throughout the state.
Formative Assessment	2013-2015	New Jersey Department of Education	A two-year Formative Assessment program was designed to support the increasing need to improve New Jersey educators’ data literacy related to assessment-driven English Language Arts (ELA) instruction.
Common Core Academy	2013-2013	New Jersey Department of Education	The center developed, coordinated, and implemented a week-long professional learning event that provided training to more than 230 New Jersey teachers and administrators on the practical application of the Common Core State Standards.

Health & Public Policy

Employment, Development, Guidance, and Engagement (EDGE)	2022-2025	N.J. Commission for The Blind	As the external evaluator, the center collaborates with EDGE stakeholders to assess the program’s efficacy and impact. The comprehensive evaluation involves detailed reviews of program implementation, mentor and staff engagements, student achievements, and overall outcomes.
New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS)	2019-2031	National Institutes of Health	In the capacity of internal evaluator for NJ ACTS, the center works within the large-scale project that involves health care providers and clinical researchers across Rutgers Health, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Princeton University.
Project ASPEN: Active Surveillance of Policy Ecosystems and Networks to Enhance Brokering of Research Evidence into State Policymaking	2019-2022	William T. Grant Foundation	The project’s primary goal was to collaborate with the National Alliance on Mental Illness – New Jersey, an established patient advocacy organization, to produce and disseminate research relevant to implementing universal screening for adolescent depression in public schools.
Improving the Provision of Mental Health Care for Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease and Their Caregivers	2017-2018	Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)	This project was intended to better understand the experiences of patients suffering from end-stage renal disease, their caregivers, and their healthcare providers in acquiring, receiving, and communicating information about treatment options and decision-making.