Abigail Todhunter-Reid, Ph.D.

Consultant, Racial & Economic Equity

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Dr. Todhunter-Reid conducts rigorous applied research and supports education leaders in establishing research protocols and systematic data practices. She specializes in the evaluation and cost-analysis of educational programs and has a passion for motivation theory and social-emotional learning.

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Most recently, Dr. Todhunter-Reid’s work has focused on identifying programs that reduce racial and economic disparities in postsecondary readiness and success rates. During her time as an Evaluation Specialist with the School District of Palm Beach County, Dr. Todhunter-Reid estimated the cost-effectiveness of the AVID college outreach program at increasing college enrollment rates among first-generation college students. In her current research as an American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellow, she is examining how deeper learning instructional practices reinforce the post-secondary pathways of low-income students and students with disabilities. Dr. Todhunter-Reid has also evaluated a wide range of online reading technologies, tutorial services, and school transformation initiatives.

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Dr. Todhunter-Reid earned her Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 2017. For her doctoral dissertation, she used national data and longitudinal analysis to examine how arts integration facilitates engaged learning for students who struggle to comport in traditional academic contexts.

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Dr. Todhunter-Reid is an AERA Fellow, Harvard Strategic Data Project Alumna, and member of the American Evaluation Association.
 

Education

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• Ph.D., Childhood Studies, Concentration in Education Research Methods, Defended Dissertation with Distinction, Rutgers University

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Focus Areas
 

• College outreach

• Student engagement and social-emotional learning

• Racial and economic disparities in education

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Expertise
 

• Program evaluation

• ROI and cost-effectiveness analysis

• Longitudinal analysis and modeling student growth

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Select Publications & Presentations

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• AVID Participation in High School and Post-Secondary Success: An Evaluation and Cost Analysis. (2020). Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 13(4), 679–701.

• Applied Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: What to Take and What to Leave from the Academic Literature. (2020). Invited to lead a workshop at the Harvard Strategic Data Project Annual Convening.

• Advancement Via Individual Determination: The Relationship of Program Participation in Middle School with Behavioral Outcomes in 9th-Grade. (2019). Florida Journal of Educational Research, 57(2), 1–3.

• How to Produce Actionable Evidence when Conducting Program Evaluations. (2019). Led roundtable discussion at the Harvard Strategic Data Project Annual Convening.

• Arts Education and Academic Achievement: A Three-Level Hierarchical Linear Modeling Approach. (2018). Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting.