Betsy Davies-Mercier, PhD, supports policies and initiatives that promote children’s early learning and development. Her recent work has focused on early childhood systems building and collaborative community efforts to support high-quality programming for young children, including young children with disabilities and their families. Another area of interest for Davies-Mercier is the use of emerging technologies to support instruction for students with learning differences and those who lack access to high-quality instruction. Davies-Mercier has a background in quantitative and qualitative research design and analysis, including extensive experience with case study design, analysis, and reporting. She has expertise in quality assurance and disseminating research and evaluation findings for a wide range of audiences.

Currently, Davies-Mercier coordinates technical assistance through the Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy Center), which supports IDEA Part C and Part B 619 state agencies on data collection, analysis, and use. She has developed numerous resources to support state agency staff in evaluating and improving services for children with disabilities. She is a data analyst and contributes to reporting for an Education Innovation and Research grant focused on reducing challenging behaviors in preschool and kindergarten classrooms through the implementation of the Pyramid Model. Davies-Mercier also collects and analyzes data on asynchronous learning models to support students off track to graduate for the Barr Family Foundation’s Engage New England Initiative, and she engaged in a recent SRI-led study of the use of augmented reality to support instruction of students with dyslexia.

Davies-Mercier previously led case studies of local early childhood systems building collaboratives for the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation and supported the comprehensive evaluation of the 4-year Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus (VPI+), which provided high-quality programming and services for at-risk 4-year-olds. She conducted case studies of the implementation and use of kindergarten entry assessments by early adopters of statewide assessment programs for the U.S. Department of Education. For years she supported the production and dissemination of resources for national technical assistance centers including the DaSy Center and the Regional Educational Laboratory – Appalachia. Davies-Mercier holds a PhD from The George Washington University and a BA from Bates College.

Key projects

1. Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy Center)
2. Scaling up Pyramid Model Implementation in Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms
3. Engage New England Initiative