Debra Shaver

Debra Shaver, Ph.D., is an education researcher in SRI’s Center for Education and Human Services. She has more than 20 years of experience in social science research and policy analysis. She currently serves as co-principal investigator of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to examine factors associated with high school and post-high school outcomes of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. This study applies propensity score matching techniques to data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) to identify factors associated with outcomes in the academic, social/behavioral, vocational, and functional domains. She is also a co-investigator of an IES grant to use NLTS2 data to identify interventions provided for postsecondary students with disabilities that are associated with positive postsecondary school outcomes.

As project director for the Model Demonstration Coordination Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, Shaver directs the center’s work with model demonstration projects intended to improve outcomes for students through evidence-based educational programs and practices.

She is also a reviewer for the What Works Clearinghouse, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. In this role, Shaver has reviewed nearly 100 research studies to evaluate the scientific merit of their research designs and the strength of their evidence for educational interventions. She is certified to review randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental designs, and single-subject designs.

Shaver served on the leadership teams of the National Longitudinal Transition Study of Students with Disabilities (NLTS) and its successor, the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). As a lead analyst for these studies, she examined the characteristics, programs and services, and outcomes of students with disabilities as they transitioned from secondary school to adult life.

Shaver’s research has focused on students with disabilities, students at risk of academic failure, and collaborative school-linked services. Through this work, she has helped develop research plans, designed data collection instruments, conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses, supervised the collection of data, and written reports and publications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

In addition to her research experience, she has provided technical assistance to schools and nonprofit organizations on evaluation design, analysis, and interpretation for policy and practice.

Shaver received a Ph.D. in sociology of education from Stanford University.

Key Projects:

• Model Demonstration Coordination Center
• Factors Associated with Outcomes of Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Students
• Postsecondary Success of Students with Disabilities
• What Works Clearinghouse