The preeminent international professional organization for the field of evaluation is the American Evaluation Association, which publishes two journals: the American Journal of Evaluation and New Directions for Evaluation. Neag School of Education faculty member Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead has been named co-editor-in-chief for the latter, a prestigious honor that will not only benefit her work but also that of her colleagues at the Neag School and across the University.
“Any scholar wants to have a direct impact on their field, so to be in a position where I can do that every day is an honor,” she says.
Montrosse-Moorhead, an associate professor of research methods, measurement, and evaluation in the Department of Educational Psychology, is serving a three-year term leading New Directions for Evaluation (NDE). Her co-editor-in-chief is Sarah Mason from the University of Mississippi, and Montrosse-Moorhead has begun to invite evaluation experts, including those at UConn, to serve on the editorial advisory board.
NDE is published quarterly and, while it accepts works on all aspects of evaluation, specifically emphasizes presenting timely and thoughtful reflections on leading-edge issues of evaluation theory, practice, methods, the profession, and the organizational, cultural, and societal context within which evaluation occurs. The publication, a well-respected methodologically focused journal, is offered to the American Evaluation Association’s more than 8,000 members for free.
“Any scholar wants to have a direct impact on their field, so to be in a position where I can do that every day is an honor.” — Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, associate professor
“Dr. Montrosse-Moorhead is a leading scholar in the field of evaluation and this important and highly visible editorship only expands her national and international reputation,” says Michael Coyne, professor and head of the Department of Educational Psychology. “We are lucky to have faculty in Educational Psychology like Bianca who are helping to shape the future of their fields and contributing to the strength of our Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation programs.”
Evaluation professionals can specialize in a variety of fields, such as program evaluation, personnel evaluation, evaluation in education, evaluation in government, and more. The Neag School’s Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation graduate programs are designed for educators and other professionals who wish to develop expertise in program evaluation or a related field, such as quantitative research methodology, psychometrics, or educational measurement. Students can earn their Master of Arts or Ph.D. degrees in Educational Psychology with an area of concentration in Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation, or can take a 12-credit online graduate certificate in program evaluation.
“I would like to involve some of those graduate students in NDE,” Montrosse-Moorhead says. “They can learn about the key issues in the field, understand what the peer-review process looks like from the inside, and be better equipped to carry out their own scholarship.”
Montrosse-Moorhead herself specializes in evaluation methodology, theory, practice, and capacity building. Her research focuses on improving evaluation quality, evaluator education, and conducting applied studies of policies and educational interventions designed to promote student learning and educational equity. She hopes this editorship will create opportunities to connect with her colleagues across the University and beyond who wish to build stronger evaluation cultures and systems.
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