RESEARCH

Research at the Center

The Rutgers Center for Effective School Practices has decades of experience conducting rigorous research as well as research-informed programming and evaluation initiatives across educational contexts. Our research collaborators and client partners include school districts, schools and institutions, professional development providers, educational content and curricula creators, university consortia, health educators, industry- and discipline-specific associations, workforce development entities, and learning-related practitioners.

Drawing on expertise in study design, mixed methods research, and data analytics, the center regularly leads and collaborates on multidimensional projects that address diverse professional needs. Our research services target problems of practice – as well as opportunities – related to program management, assessment, and organizational effectiveness, among other areas.

We are in constant pursuit of greater understanding about research and evaluation best practices, and we critically assess our own work so as to continuously optimize our research value and to support the field of research overall. Explore our research publications and presentations in the sections below. Contact us to discuss research topics or collaboration opportunities.

Featured Research

This presentation shared findings from a mixed-methods readiness assessment of parents, school mental health professionals, and advocacy organizations to inform universal adolescent depression screening in schools.

Multi-Stakeholder Readiness for School-Based Depression Screening

2026 Society of Behavioral Medicine Annual Meeting

This research brief shares an analysis of high school computer science participation among seven U.S. schools over six academic years.

Six-Year Study of High School Computer Science Participation

Rutgers CESP Research Brief

Insights from a literature review on online professional learning communities and their advantages, challenges, and emerging best practices are discussed in this report.

Lit Review Explores Online Professional Learning Communities

Published by the Institute of Education Sciences

Research Archive

Year	Title	Authors	Description
2026	Assessing Implementation Readiness of Key Stakeholders for Universal School-based Depression Screening	Cynthia L. Blitz, David J. Amiel, & Itzhak Yanovitzky	This presentation shared findings from a mixed-methods readiness assessment of parents, school mental health professionals, and advocacy organizations to inform universal adolescent depression screening in schools.
2026	Parental Beliefs and Support for Implementation of School-Based Adolescent Depression Screening	Itzhak Yanovitzky & Cynthia L. Blitz	This poster shared findings from a national survey of 1,207 U.S. parents on their beliefs about and consent to school-based adolescent depression screening.
2026	Designing for Translation: Leadership Learning that Leads to Action	Cynthia L. Blitz & David J. Amiel	Collaborative professional learning inspires, but too often stays in the notebook. This report explores a practical framework for designing leadership learning that translates into sustained action.
2025	Readiness Assessment as a D&I Strategy: Informing Universal Depression Screening Implementation in Schools	Cynthia L. Blitz, David J. Amiel, & Itzhak Yanovitzky	This presentation shared results of a pre-implementation readiness assessment for universal depression screening in schools and its function within dissemination and implementation research.
2025	The Middle-to-High School Transition: Key Factors Shaping 9th-Grade Computer Science Enrollment	David J. Amiel & Cynthia L. Blitz	The study identifies key factors influencing 9th-grade computer science enrollment, revealing persistent participation gaps and providing actionable strategies to promote equity during the middle-to-high school transition.
2025	Evaluating and Selecting CS Curricula: How to Make Informed, Equitable Decisions	Cynthia L. Blitz, David J. Amiel, & Vivian Allen	This presentation provides educators with a systematic framework for evaluating computer science curricula, addressing resource overload through practical guidance on content relevance, feasibility, and contextual fit.
2025	The Scratch Arcade: Deeper Learning & Authentic Engagement through Sustained Design & Collaboration	David J. Amiel, Fran P. Trees, & Kristen Hickman	A 12-day middle school project where students design, build, and showcase arcade games using Scratch, culminating in a class game fair; promotes relevant, sustained, and engaging CS learning.
2025	An In-Depth Exploration of Mathematics Teaching Tools: Practical Insights for Educators	Jennifer Vradenburgh, Cynthia L. Blitz, & David J. Amiel	A comprehensive exploration of five widely used mathematics teaching tools providing educators with practical insights for selecting and integrating digital resources effectively.

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