2017 – Present Principal Investigator, Using Data to Improve Student Performance in Minneapolis/St. Paul Catholic Schools, GHR Foundation and Minnesota Comeback, FHI 360, Washington, DC

Dr. Fernandez supports the GHR Foundation and Minnesota Comeback in their effort to identify and close student achievement gaps in Catholic schools in Minneapolis and promote best practices in data collection, assessment and use within schools. As Principal Investigator, he directs and designs overall data analysis and reporting strategy, including overseeing collection and analysis of all data, data visualizations and representations, reporting, and presenting findings to school and foundation staff.

2017 – Present Principal Investigator, Fayetteville State University’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Evaluation, FHI 360, Washington, DC

Dr. Fernandez is responsible for the design, development, data collection, and implementation of a seven-year longitudinal quasi-experimental study, that include formative components designed to track project implementation, performance measures, and annual student outcomes.

2016 – Present Technical Expert, Pennsylvania State Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Evaluation, FHI 360, Washington, DC

GEAR UP is a discretionary grants program of the U.S. Department of Education designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. GEAR UP provides these grants to states as competitive six-year matching grants that must include both a scholarship component and an early intervention component designed to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students. Dr. Fernandez provides technical direction, leadership, and expertise on FHI 360’s Pennsylvania State GEAR UP evaluation.

2011 – 2016 Deputy Project Manager, Validation Study of Diplomas Now, U.S. Department of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Dr. Fernandez served as Deputy Project Manager for this i3 validation study, which focuses on a dropout prevention model. He was responsible for developing instruments to measure program fidelity, managing the online survey administration of program staff and school administrators in 60 schools from 10 school districts across the country, and conducting in-depth case studies in up to 8 school districts to document best practices and lessons learned. Additionally, he was responsible for managing the student survey administration as part of the randomized controlled trial. Approximately 14,000 students across 60 schools (30 middle and 30 high schools) were surveyed at multiple points in time during the evaluation.

2013 – 2016 Project Director, National Academy Foundation (NAF), Data Validation and Student-Level Data Analysis, NAF, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

For over 30 years, National Academy Foundation (NAF) has fostered partnerships between business and education communities to form career academies. In collaboration with NAF, Dr. Fernandez worked to review and develop an annual student-level report to understand the effectiveness of NAF academies. As Project Director, Dr. Fernandez was responsible for the design, development, and analysis of a multi-year evaluation plan, fidelity assessment data, and annual student outcomes. Analyses included descriptive, comparative, and correlational analyses of student demographics and cohort graduation rates, alongside a comparison of Non-NAF academy students identified through propensity score matching.

2013 – 2016 Task Manager, Education Technical Assistance and Support Services (EDTASS) Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy (SRCL), U.S. Department of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

The SRCL program provides support for comprehensive literacy development and education programs to advance literacy skills of students from birth to grade 12, with a specific focus on disadvantage students, English language learners, and children with disabilities. This task order provides communities of practices and technical assistance support services to assist grantees and achieve program objectives. Dr. Fernandez served as case studies and summative report task lead, responsible for reviewing grantee information and materials, establishing performance indicators, establishing baseline performance, conducting analyses of reading performance data, and outlining and drafting reports.

2015 – 2016 Senior Researcher, Regional Education Laboratory (REL)—Mid-Atlantic, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

The REL Mid-Atlantic helps states, districts, and schools use data and analysis to address issues related to policy and practice to improve student outcomes. As part of the lab, Dr. Fernandez is currently conducting a formative evaluation of the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) District of Columbia Re-Engagement Center (DC-REC). The DC-REC offers a one-stop location for those who have disengaged from school ages 16-24, providing them with an entry point on the path of re-enrollment eventually leading them to a high school diploma or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate. In his role, Dr. Fernandez has work in close partnership with the DC-REC, sharing regular updates, and conducting focus groups and interviews with DC-REC staff, clients, families and friends, and various partner organizations.

2012 – 2015 Community of Practice Program Manager, Reform Support Network, U.S. Department of Education, Implementation and Support Unit, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

The Reform Support Network was the technical assistance network that served the grantees of the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top education reform initiative. Dr. Fernandez served as Program Manager for the Instructional Improvement and Data Systems Community of Practice (CoPs). Activities in the CoPs include publications, webinars, tools, convening’s, workgroups, and individualized technical assistance to grantee States. The CoP worked to help Race to the Top grantees understand how to support current implementation as well as improving their data-informed decision-making. As program manager, he was responsible for making sure tasks were properly scoped, budgeted, appropriate subject matter experts were engaged, and tasks were carried out to meet the needs of the 19 Race to the Top State education agencies.

2010 – 2015 Project Manager, Access to Success (A2S), The Education Trust, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

The Access to Success Initiative (A2S), a project of the National Association of System Heads and The Education Trust, works with 24 public higher education systems that have pledged to cut the college-going and graduation gaps for low-income and minority students in half by 2015. This project included the development of an online data collection system for The Education Trusts’ Access to Success initiative and provided data management, analysis, reports, and technical assistance. Dr. Fernandez served as project manager. As such, he was specifically responsible for the design and development of data collection tools and templates, technical assistance and support, data management and collection, data analyses and all reporting requirements.

2007 – 2013 Task Lead, U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, Institutional Development and Undergraduate Education Services (IDUES) Title III and IV programs, U.S. Department of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

IDUES provides a web-based annual performance reporting system (APR) for the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education Title III and V programs. The IDUES APR provides an efficient, electronic venue for Title III and Title V grantees (including institutions of higher education that serve low-income, African-American, Hispanic, Native American, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian students) to report project performance and progress and facilitate GPRA reporting for recipients of these funds. Dr. Fernandez served as lead data analyst and report writer. In this role, he was responsible for all data management and cleaning required, the creation of required analysis files, overseeing all analyses including institutional demographics, annual and trends statistics, and GPRA outcomes. Dr. Fernandez’s intimate knowledge regarding the organizational structure of the APR, the data points available, and its strength and limitations helps to ensure the timely completion of all reports.

2011 – 2011 Analysis Support, Drug Free Communities (DFC) Support Program National Evaluation, Office of National Drug Control Policy, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

As part of the early stages of the project, Dr. Fernandez conducted numerous analyses using the National Longitudinal School-Level State Assessments Score Database (NLSLSASD) to explore the potential impacts of the DFC Program. Additionally, he has assisted in the development and analyses of a social network survey, specifically focusing on the visual presentation of network relationships.

2011 – 2011 Analysis Support, Cross-site Evaluation of the Children Bureau’s Child Welfare Technical Assistance Implementation Centers and National Child Welfare Resource Centers, Children’s Bureau, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

The main objective of this evaluation was to document and assess the impact of coaching, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer networking. Information used to help child welfare agencies obtain a greater degree of implementation in their systems, practice change efforts, and link implementation to positive changes in child and family outcomes. Dr. Fernandez provided analytic support to this evaluation. Specifically, through bi-monthly analyses of the programs online data collection system.

2007 – 2011 Study Director, Regional Education Laboratory—Mid-Atlantic, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Dr. Fernandez served as the Study Director for the Regional Education Lab: Mid-Atlantic’s Odyssey Math multi-site cluster randomized controlled trial, designed to assess the impacts of Odyssey Math software on the mathematics achievement of fourth grade students. In this role, Dr. Fernandez had a key role in the successful recruitment of sites and implementation of the study. Tasks ranged from logistical study matters, such as organizing and scheduling professional development and classroom observations; data collection/management, such as administration of pre/post-test, monitoring student time on task, ensuring integrity of random assignment, and maintaining the study’s online database; and data analysis which include descriptive analyses, baseline equivalence, interclass correlations, and a three-level hierarchical linear model analysis.

2007 – 2011 Research Extension Specialist, Regional Education Laboratory—Mid-Atlantic, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Dept. of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Dr. Fernandez served as Research Extension Specialist for Delaware, the District of Columbia, and Maryland; main responsibilities include serving as a link between the Regional Education Lab and local State Education Agencies, collection and documentation of regional needs, and technical assistance.

2007 – 2010 Lead Quantitative Analyst, Communities in Schools National Evaluation, Communities in Schools, Inc., ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Communities in Schools, Inc. (CIS) is a nationwide initiative to connect needed community resources with schools to help students, particularly those identified as at-risk, successfully learn, stay in school, and prepare for life. Dr. Fernandez served as Lead Quantitative Analyst for multi-level, multi-phased evaluation in close collaboration with CIS National. In addition, he was responsible for the management and overview of two student-level randomized control trials (RCT) geared at determining the impact of CIS on students from high-schools in Austin, Texas, and Wichita, Kansas.

2008 – 2009 Principal Investigator, Communities in Schools of Georgia, Evaluation of Georgia’s Performance Learning Centers, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Communities in Schools of Georgia, Inc. Performance Learning Center (PLC) model was designed to help high school dropouts and students at risk of dropping out to re-engage in school, develop marketable skills in a business-like setting, and prepare for a successful future as goal-oriented high school graduates. Dr. Fernandez serves as Principal Investigator for this mix-method evaluation, which entailed a district-level quasi-experimental study, an online survey, and two case studies. Main responsibilities entailed project management, technical oversight, data management, and product development.

2008 – 2008 Task Lead, New Jersey Math Science Partnership Evaluation, New Jersey Department of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Dr. Fernandez served as data analyst and report writer for the evaluation of the New Jersey Math Science Partnership program. These evaluations employed a mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques to assess gains in teacher content knowledge through participation in professional development. The evaluation design included the integration of pre- and post-test assessments of teachers participating in professional development trainings, participatory observations of professional development, and student achievement data.

2007 – 2008 Study Reviewer, What Works Clearinghouse (WWC), U.S. Department of Education, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Dr. Fernandez served as a reviewer and coder for the WWC. WWC collects, screens, and identifies studies on the effectiveness of educational interventions (programs, products, practices, and policies). The studies that have the strongest research design are reviewed and reported on their strengths and weaknesses against the WWC Evidence Standards so the education community is informed about what the best scientific evidence has to say on effective education practices.

2007 – 2008 Performance Measurement, Assets for Independence (AFI) Comprehensive Support Initiative, Office of Community Services (OCS), Administrations for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ICF International, Fairfax, Virginia

Performance measurement and program evaluation are valuable tools to help OCS demonstrate AFI program results, return on investment, and grantee performance while providing the information necessary to support the continuing development and sustainability of the AFI program’s mission. Dr. Fernandez assisted OCS in the process of reviewing all of the indicators and establishing benchmarks. He also provided higher quality tools (e.g., templates and fact sheets) and advice for AFI grantees to further develop the AFI program.

2006 – 2006 Program Evaluator, Youth Construction Initiative Program (YCIP), The Evaluation Consortium, University at Albany, Albany, New York

Funded by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), YCIP developed and implemented a program with the purpose of encouraging the pursuit of careers in the field of highway construction. An additional purpose of the program was to encourage the participation of women and minorities in a field in which they are under-represented. Dr. Fernandez main responsibilities included data collection, conducting focus groups, as well as interviewing key personnel and various stakeholders.

2005 – 2006 Program Evaluator, Beyond Access to Mathematical Achievement (BAMA), The Evaluation Consortium, University at Albany, Albany, New York

Funded through No Child Left Behind Act: Title IIB Math and Science Partnership, BAMA targeted intensive professional development at math teachers over the course of three years. Professional development activities were based on evidence-based practices that have shown to result in effective transfer of knowledge. Key models incorporated included: direct instruction, coaching, mentoring, self-study, peer observation, and study groups. Dr. Fernandez main responsibilities included collection of student baseline data, classroom observations, administrative and teacher interviews, data analysis, monthly and annual reports.

2005 – 2006 Program Evaluator, No Child Left Behind—Title IID: Enhancing Education through Technology, The Evaluation Consortium, University at Albany, Albany, New York

Competitive project aimed at systematically integrating technology into classroom instruction with the objective of helping students to meet challenging State standards in mathematics and ELA. To help meet this objective, focused professional development was used to increase the technology capacity of teachers. Dr. Fernandez was responsible for documenting and observing various teacher professional developments impact.

2005 – 2006 Program Evaluator, Using Technology to Transform Teaching, The Evaluation Consortium, University at Albany, Albany, New York

A comprehensive initiative designed to develop systems that support the development of pre-service teachers’ abilities to use technology to actively engage students in learning and to document and account for their students’ learning and their own professional development. Dr. Fernandez was responsible for organizing and conducting several focus groups gauging host-teachers’ attitudes and outlooks of pre-service teachers.

Additional Experience

2006 – 2006 Lecturer, The College of St. Rose, Albany, New York

Served as an instructor for an undergraduate course in educational psychology geared at future teachers. The course offered an overview of educational principles and theories, including: learning and instructional theories, motivation, assessment and evaluation, and classroom management.

2004 – 2004 Instructor, University at Albany, Albany, New York

Served as an instructor for an undergraduate course in educational psychology. The course offered an overview of the literature on learning, motivation, development, and effective teaching practices. The course also presented general research principles and how they have been used to inform the field of education.