March 2021

Julie Cohen, PhD
Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia

Ph.D., Stanford University, 2013
M.A.T., Loyola Marymount University, 2006
B.A., Stanford University, 2001

Julie Cohen is an associate professor of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development. Her research focuses on the conceptualization and measurement of teaching quality, the ways in which accountability and teacher evaluation systems shape teaching practice, and the development of effective instructional practices in pre-service teacher education and professional development.

Several of her current research projects focus on the use of mixed reality simulations as a practice space and assessment platform for pre-service teachers. In partnership with Student Achievement Partners, she is also leading a project centered on operationalizing, measuring, and supporting Common Core aligned teaching practices.

Cohen’s work has been generously funded by the National Science Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Robertson Foundation, and the Overdeck Family Foundation. Recent publications have been featured in Educational Researcher, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and the Journal of Teacher Education. Prior to her appointment at UVA, she received her doctorate in Curriculum and Teacher Education at Stanford University and was a post-doctoral fellow in the Center to Support Excellence in Teaching at Stanford.

Nathan Jones, PhD
Associate Professor of Special Education, Boston University (BU) and Founding Member of the BU Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences

Dr. Nathan Jones is an Associate Professor of Special Education and is a Founding Member of the BU Faculty of Computing and Data Sciences. In his research, Dr. Jones focuses on teacher quality, teacher development, and school improvement, with a specific emphasis on conceptualizing and measuring teaching effectiveness.

Dr. Jones is currently the principal investigator of a $1.6 million IES grant examining whether the Framework for Teaching (FFT) – an observation system used in over 20 states and hundreds of school districts – can be used validly and reliably in the evaluation of special education teachers. He is also Co-PI on a 4-year, $1.6 million IES study (PI: Eric Camburn, University of Missouri-Kansas City) measuring how teachers spend their time, experience their school context, and respond emotionally to their work. Dr. Jones is affiliated faculty with the Wheelock Educational Policy Center (WEPC).

Dr. Jones currently serves as co-editor of The Elementary School Journal, as associate editor of the Journal of Teacher Education, and as an editorial board member of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. He formerly taught special education in the Mississippi Delta and holds a joint doctorate in Educational Policy and Special Education from Michigan State University.