Dr. Blitz is the Executive Director of the Center for Effective School Practices (CESP) and a Research Professor at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education (RU-GSE), where she works to facilitate the translation of scientific knowledge into educational practice in multiple domains of K–12 education. Dr. Blitz is committed to promoting the ability of educational stakeholders to effectively meet the needs of communities both in New Jersey and on a national level.
At CESP, Dr. Blitz conducts critical evaluation research to identify best instructional practices and effective interventions to advance student learning and achievement, as well as to provide technical and administrative support to RU-GSE researchers. Some of her most recent research projects include the evaluation of the impact of new instructional technology on quality of classroom instruction and student learning, and the external assessment of the New Jersey Teacher Evaluation Pilot. An expert in adult collaborative learning structures and processes, she develops and provides job-embedded and evidence-based PD, TA, and coaching to teachers and administrators that support continued learning, sustainable growth, and meaningful reflection. She has extensive experience with evaluating programs at the school, district, and the state-level and the methodological sophistication needed to support educational partners who seek to ground decisions and initiatives in sound educational research. She also has a demonstrated ability to effectively engage a multitude of stakeholders (superintendents, administrators, classroom teachers, parents, fellow researchers, and policymakers) with scientifically-based knowledge that they can understand and use, as well as to engage them in authentic collaborations that can produce real solutions to real problems (e.g., PLCs, research- practitioner partnerships, and the like).
Dr. Blitz has 15 years of experience working as a social scientist and program evaluator in the health and education fields. She is the author or co-author of publications and research presentations, and her scholarship centers prominently on closing educational gaps and health disparities among disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. Her work has appeared in journals such as International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, American Journal of Public Health, and Journal of Health Communication. Trained as an interdisciplinary researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, she holds a Ph.D. from that institution and an M.A. in Applied Anthropology from American University.