Xin Wei, PhD, has extensive expertise in statistical modeling, measurement, and research designs and is an expert in secondary data analysis using national and state longitudinal datasets. Currently she is the principal investigator (PI) of an Institute of Education Sciences’ (IES) project that uses statistical and machine learning techniques to understand the differences in NAEP test-taking processes for learners with and without disabilities. Wei also directs the design and quantitative analysis on three U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) grants:

• Metro Nashville Public Schools Scaling Up Pyramid Model (PM)
• Young Academic Music and Computational Thinking
• Supporting High-Needs Elementary Students with the CW-FIT Program: Building for Scale and Sustainability, and

Further, Wei directs the analysis of three Institute of Education Sciences (IES)’s funded studies:

• The Efficacy Study of the Universally Designed Science Notebook
• Effectiveness Study of Tools for Getting Along (TFGA)
• Efficacy Study of Foundations

In prior work, Wei completed seven ED Innovation grant (i3)-funded evaluation studies and the Michigan Striving Readers project funded by ED, all of which received a WWC rating of “meet standards with or without reservation.” She was a co-PI on secondary data analysis grants funded by the National Science Foundation and IES to explore factors that contribute to success for students with disabilities. Her work on STEM and autism received national attention and has been reported by CBS News and Science.com and other media. She also worked as a statistician on a National Institute of Health-funded study linking stress and gene expression for youth.

Wei is a reviewer for the What Works Clearinghouse, using her knowledge of experimental design and statistical modeling to evaluate various educational intervention studies. She is also the lead author of numerous papers on various topics related to improving outcomes of disadvantaged students. Wei’s work can be found in peer-reviewed journals such as AERA open, Exceptional Children, Educational Policy, Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, Frontier in Education, Maternal and Child Health Journal, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, Journal of Special Education, Remedial and Special Education, School Mental Health, Science Education, and others.

Wei received her PhD in educational psychology with a focus on statistics and measurement and an MS degree in statistics from Stanford University, where she was a recipient of the prestigious Stanford Graduate Fellowship. She also holds an MS degree in human development from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a BA in child development from Nanjing Normal University in China.

Key projects

1. Analysis of NAEP Mathematics Process, Outcome, and Survey Data to Understand Test-Taking Behavior and Mathematics Performance of Learners with Disabilities
2. Scaling Up Implementation of Pyramid Model in Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms
3. The Efficacy Study of the Universally Designed Science Notebook
4. Effectiveness Study of Tools for Getting Along
5. Efficacy Study of Foundations, School-wide Positive Discipline for Middle Schools