About Us – The Use of Research Evidence

The Design Team

Drew Gitomer: Principal Investigator

Drew is a member of the faculty in the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University and is the PI for the URE Repository. His research has focused on the assessment and evaluation of teaching, policy-related issues in teaching, and teacher education. He is co-author of Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods.

Contact: drew@uremethods.org

Kevin Crouse: Co-PI

Kevin works as the Data Engineer for the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and previously was the Director of Data Governance with the School District of Philadelphia, where he worked closely with sites in the Regional Educational Laboratory Program (REL). He is the co-PI for the URE Repository and a doctoral student at Rutgers Graduate School of Education, studying how practitioners use data and research evidence, and has had primary responsibility for the design of the website and all software tools. He is co-author of Studying the Use of Research Evidence: A Review of Methods.

Contact: kevin@uremethods.org

Colleen McDermott: Project Administrator

Colleen provides administrative support for the Repository, including coordinating scheduling of all project activities, providing editorial assistance for all project communications and publications, and related support as needed.

Contact: colleen.mcdermott@gse.rutgers.edu

Nikki Dreste: Project Manager

Nikki is a Research Associate for the URE Methods Repository. She has been managing the Repository since September 2021. She has provided leadership in building protocols, designing resources for the users, conducting beta tests, developing project social media presence. She has a teaching background in higher education and a master's degree in English writing studies.

Contact: nikkidreste.uremethods@gmail.com

Lauren Kim: Assistant Developer

Lauren was a Research Assistant for the URE Repository through September 2021. She assisted in the development of initial seed protocols for the Repository and performed other supporting tasks for the project. Lauren is currently in the Rutgers Graduate School of Education’s 5-year master’s program for K-12 English education.

Meged Eisenberg: Lead Developer Emeritus

Meged was Research Associate for the URE Repository through August 2021. He is a student in The College of New Jersey’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. Meged has experience researching social and cognitive psychology, consciousness, and the impacts of alcohol abuse.

You can also contact us at our emails listed above, or anytime at contact@uremethods.org.

Funded and supported by:

Supporting research to improve the lives of young people

Founded in 1936 by William T. Grant, the Foundation funds research “that increases understanding of programs, policies and practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes, and how policymakers and practitioners acquire, interpret, and use research evidence.” Learn more about the Foundation’s goals here.

The URE Methods Repository is located in a Collection on the Open Science Framework, developed by the Center for Open Science. CoS’ mission is to “increase openness, integrity, and reproducibility of research”. Find out more about the Center for Open Science’s goals here.