W. Carl Sumi

Senior Principal Education Researcher, SRI Education

Carl Sumi, PhD, has more than 30 years of experience working with children with emotional and behavioral disabilities, from direct service to research and policy development. He has expertise in designing, conducting, and managing large-scale experimental studies and evaluations, with a special focus on collaborating with districts, schools, and communities to improve child and family outcomes.

At SRI, Sumi leads a number of federally funded research projects. With funding from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), he is principal investigator (PI) of an efficacy study of Classcraft, which helps teachers establish a positive, cooperative classroom atmosphere and improve classroom management and student engagement. Under two separate Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grants from the U.S. Department of Education, Sumi leads independent evaluations of Freshman Success, a student engagement program to help prevent dropout and improve academic and behavioral outcomes, and Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams, a classroom management system to increase engagement during academic instruction. Additionally, he is PI of a National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER)-funded replication study to assess the effectiveness of BEST in CLASS, an intervention for young children who demonstrate persistent and intensive challenging behavior in classroom settings, which place them at future risk for developing social-emotional learning difficulties. In collaboration with the University of Missouri, he leads an IES-funded randomized study of Discipline in the Secondary Classroom, a positive approach to classroom management in high school.

Previously, Sumi was PI of Project SECURE, funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, to evaluate a multi-tiered trauma-informed system in a large urban school district. With funding from IES, he also led an efficacy study of Foundations, a program to support schoolwide positive discipline, and an effectiveness study of Tools for Getting Along, a social problem-solving intervention for elementary school children. Other IES-funded efficacy studies include one focused on an intervention to support middle school students exposed to trauma (Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools) and another on student engagement and dropout prevention program (Check & Connect). Sumialso co-directed the National Behavior Research Coordination Center, which coordinated with behavior research centers in conducting randomized controlled trials of interventions for students with severe challenging behavior in grades 1–3.

Sumi started as a teacher in self-contained classrooms for students with behavior disorders, and he has been working for and advocating on the behalf of children and families ever since. His research has made significant contributions to policy and practice in special education, school dropout, and students’ academic achievement, social skills, and challenging behavior at the local, state, and national levels. He has published in the Asian American Journal of Psychology, Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, School Mental Health, and School Psychology Review.

Sumi earned his PhD in special education (child and family policy) from the University of South Florida. He also holds an MA in special education (behavior disorders) and an MEd in secondary mathematics education.

Key projects

• Initial Efficacy Study of Classcraft, A Gamified Approach to Classroom Management
• Effectiveness Replication of the BEST in CLASS Intervention for Young Children at High Risk for Delays in Social or Emotional Development
• A Study of Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Positive Approach to Behavior Management
• Supporting High-Needs Elementary Students with the CW-FIT Program: Building for Scale and Sustainability
• Project SECURE: Keeping Kids Safe in San Francisco Unified School District
• Effectiveness Study of Tools for Getting Along: Teaching Students to Problem Solve Students Exposed to Trauma: A Study of the CBITS Program