Senior Education Researcher, SRI Education
Wei-Bing Chen, PhD, focuses on early childhood development, school readiness, family support and engagement, and improving outcomes for disadvantaged children. She has experience evaluating a wide range of school- and community-based programs (including in non-early childhood content areas) using both quantitative and qualitative methods. She also provides technical assistance (TA) to state and local clients, increasing their capacity for evaluation, program implementation, and systems-building.
Chen is currently the Deputy Director of the National Technical Assistance Center for Preschool Development Grants Birth through 5 (PDG B-5 TA), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. She provides TA to states on coordinating program application, eligibility, and enrollment as a systems-building strategy.
Previous projects include assisting Oregon in implementing their PDG B-5 initial grant, an evaluation of an early literacy initiative funded by the McKnight Foundation in Minnesota, a feasibility study of using the Pay for Success model to fund preschool quality enhancement in Minnesota, and an evaluation of a newly implemented centralized system of supports for evidence-based home visiting programs in Washington. She also conducted an evaluation of the implementation and effectiveness of two of Minnesota’s Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge programs, developed an online guide to reducing preschool suspensions and expulsions, and provided technical assistance and evaluation services to programs supporting early childhood development in San Mateo County, California.
Before joining SRI, Chen developed and implemented a visuospatial fine-motor-skills intervention in an after-school setting, examined the effects of the pre-referral intervention team process on elementary student and teacher outcomes, and evaluated community-based programs supporting kinship caregivers and families who adopted children with disabilities. She began her career as a paraprofessional in a school for children with severe emotional disorders in need of intensive residential or day treatment.
Recent publications
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