Leigh Parise
Leigh Parise
Deputy Director
Program Development
Senior Research Associate

Parise plays a lead role in MDRC’s education-focused program-development efforts and conducts mixed-methods education research. Her program-development work focuses on incubating and launching new projects and draws on her expertise in and knowledge of education policy and the associated evidence base. She recently helped MDRC’s postsecondary team launch the Scaling Up Community College Efforts for Student Success initiative, which seeks to improve graduation rates for traditionally underserved students at community colleges by helping states and institutions align their resources with evidence-based practices. Since joining MDRC in 2011, Parise has been a lead researcher on several MDRC research projects, including large-scale randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and descriptive studies. Parise is currently leading the implementation research on MDRC’s evaluation of the P-TECH 9-14 high school model, a career pathway model that begins in high schools and extends into postsecondary education and the workforce. She is also the deputy project director on a large-scale randomized controlled trial funded by the Institute of Education Sciences evaluating the impact of language interventions on upper elementary students’ academic achievement. Before joining MDRC, Parise received her PhD in human development and social policy from Northwestern University and a master’s in teaching from Pace University. Parise began her career as an elementary school teacher in Brooklyn and she is also the cofounder of Classroom Champions, a nonprofit organization that connects Olympic and Paralympic athlete mentors with students in underserved schools to foster students’ social and emotional skill development.

Products

Report

Implementation, Impact, and Cost Findings from the New York City P-TECH 9-14 Schools Evaluation

Brief

Learning from the Communities In Schools Reengagement Coordinator Initiative

Toolkit

Lessons from Employers and Schools in NYC's Original P-TECH Grades 9-14 Schools

Report

Interim Implementation and Impact Findings from New York City’s P-TECH 9-14 Schools

Issue Focus

Interviews or Focus Groups?

Issue Focus

A Case Study of Communities In Schools

Report

Final Findings from the Communities In Schools Random Assignment Evaluation

Brief

Are School Districts Ready to Meet New Federal Goals?

Brief

Teachers’ Voices on Professional Development

Report

Implementation and Interim Impact Findings from the Communities In Schools Evaluation

Other Publications

Spillane, James. P., Leigh M. Parise, and Jennifer Z. Sherer. 2011. “Organizational Routines as Coupling Mechanisms: Policy, School Administration, and the Technical Core.” American Educational Research Journal 48, 3: 586-619.

Parise, Leigh M., and James P. Spillane. 2010. “Teacher Learning and Instructional Change: How Formal and On-the-Job Learning Opportunities Predict Change in Elementary School Teachers’ Practice.” The Elementary School Journal 110, 3: 323-346.

Spillane, James P., Kaleen Healey, and Leigh M. Parise. 2009. “School Leaders’ Formal and Informal Opportunities-to-Learn: A Descriptive Analysis.” Educational Review 61, 4: 407-432.

Mesler, Leigh. 2009. “The Power of Peer Tutoring: Success for a Retained Student.” Teachers College Record 111, 8: 1,894-1,915.

Spillane, James P., Louis Gomez, and Leigh Mesler. 2009. “Notes on Reframing the Role of Organizations in Policy Implementation: Resources for Practice, In Practice.” In Gary Sykes, Barbara Schneider, and David N. Plank (eds.), Handbook of Education Policy. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.