Welcoming Dr. Jilliam N. Joe as Research Director

The Aurora Institute is thrilled to welcome Dr. Jilliam N. Joe as Research Director, effective immediately. Dr. Joe comes to Aurora with extensive experience managing complex, multi-site research and evaluation projects encompassing diverse settings, from K-12 to adult education. An experienced psychometrician and program evaluator with a demonstrated history of working in nonprofit and start-up environments, Dr. Joe specializes in the design of measures and evaluation approaches for continuous improvement of teaching and learning, and the advancement of equitable K-12 education solutions.

Prior to joining Aurora, Dr. Joe served as the founder and president of the consultancy Measure by Design, Vice President of Learning Insights at Leap Innovations, and an Associate Research Scientist at ETS. She has designed, managed, and provided technical guidance for applied research projects and assessment programs within the large-scale testing industry, state education agencies, and university settings. She has contributed to projects, consultations, and studies that have impacted the measurement of performance-based assessments and, in particular, classroom observation practices, notably the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Additionally, Dr. Joe is a contributing author on a number of classroom observation implementation reports and books. She holds a Ph.D. in Assessment and Measurement from James Madison University, a M.S. in Urban Studies from the Strome College of Business, and a B.S. in Communication from Old Dominion University.

“Dr. Joe brings a wealth of in-depth experience leading educational measurement, research and evaluation to advance personalized learning and equity. We feel so fortunate that she has chosen to join our team, and she will be a tremendous asset to the organization,” said Dr. Loretta Goodwin, the Aurora Institute’s interim chief executive officer.

“I am thrilled to welcome a colleague with such deep expertise in research, evaluation, and student-centered learning,” said Dr. Eliot Levine, Aurora’s current research director. “Jill’s opening keynote at Aurora’s 2020 National Research Convening on Building the Evidence Based for Personalized Learning was such a wise and memorable contribution to the field nationally.”

At Aurora, Dr. Joe will be responsible for conducting and facilitating research and evaluation projects that answer critical questions facing the field and disseminating the findings widely. By developing and sharing resources that equip educators, school leaders, and policymakers to catalyze and scale next-generation learning approaches, she will help inform, inspire, and advance the field.

Dr. Eliot Levine, Aurora’s research director since 2018, will stay at Aurora through July, finishing projects and supporting Dr. Joe’s transition before taking some time off and considering how to best continue contributing to education and social justice work. We thank Eliot for his tremendous contributions to the field of personalized, competency-based education during his time at Aurora.