OUR MISSION
Dedicated to improving evidence-based decision making through the design and implementation of expert, nonpartisan, research-based evaluation and assessment services.
ABOUT
CREA was founded in 2004 to serve the research, evaluation, and assessment needs of the UNLV College of Education. Since that time, we have expanded to include successful partnerships with local Southern Nevada organizations, state and national agencies in and outside of education, and higher education institutions. With a proven track record in the planning and implementation of high-quality research, evaluation, assessment, and data-analytic projects, we design and conduct rigorous fieldwork to improve understanding of programs and practices that contribute to the development of educators, students, and other partners, customizing projects to fulfill each client’s needs.
Who you’ll be working with
Bradley D. Marianno, Ph.D.
Faculty Director
Dr. Marianno is an Assistant Professor of educational policy and leadership and Faculty Director of the UNLV Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (CREA). Marianno’s research focuses on the consequences of education policy change for educational governance and student outcomes with a substantive focus on local, state, and federal teacher policy. His work has appeared in several policy journals including Economics of Education Review, Policy Studies Journal, Educational Policy, and AERA Open. He has provided expert opinion to media outlets like Education Week, The74, NPR, and Time. He graduated with his Ph.D. in urban education policy from the University of Southern California (USC). He also holds master’s degrees in sociology and economics from Brigham Young University and USC, respectively.
Mark Spinrad, Ph.D.
Managing Director
Dr. Spinrad is the managing director of the UNLV Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (CREA). Since earning his Ph.D. in higher education from UNLV, Mark joins CREA with research interests in education policy, faculty labor, and organizational culture, as well as qualitative methodologies. Priorly, he taught qualitative and introductory research methods, as well as institutional assessment. He also holds a master’s degree in English Composition with an emphasis in developmental literacy and has taught all levels of undergraduate literacy courses.
Research Associates
Rebecca Ann Thomas, M.Ed.
Research Associate
Rebecca Ann is a research associate for the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment. She earned her B.S. in secondary education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Rebecca received an M.Ed. from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in teaching and learning with a concentration in technology integration. She also holds a degree in educational administration from Grand Canyon University. Rebecca was a middle and high school teacher with the Clark County School District for 16 years teaching social studies, and CTE technology courses. Rebecca is a doctoral student with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas college of education in the department of teaching and learning with a concentration in interaction and media sciences. Rebecca’s research interests are in integrating mindfulness techniques into educational technology.
Wilson Hatcher, M.Ed.
Research Associate
Wilson has called Las Vegas home for over 30 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in legal studies, a master’s in higher education, and is working on a Ph.D. in educational psychology.
His research interests include quantitative analysis of large datasets. He spent his early career teaching English language and standardized test prep in Japan and Thailand. He served in advising, recruitment, and retention roles at both the College of Southern Nevada and UNLV. He is happy to join the team at the Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment. Off campus, you can usually find him playing with his cats, Kimchi and Shoyu.
Graduate Assistants
David Wade
Graduate Assistant
Anel Rojas
Graduate Assistant
Emily Coombes
Graduate Assistant
Christina Nishiyama
Graduate Assistant
Gillian Bowden
Graduate Assistant
OUR SERVICES
We are a major academic center that provides expert, nonpartisan program and policy evaluation and assessment services for decision-makers in national, state, and local organizations. We also provide expert consultation on qualitative and quantitative research design for researchers here in Nevada and around the world.
ANALYSIS & EVALUATION
We offer evaluation design and planning services within several sectors and focus areas. These services are customized to each project that CREA undertakes to provide the most extensive and effective research design.
DATA SERVICES
Extensive data services for research and evaluation are provided by a team that specializes in data collection and analysis. Services include data cleaning, analysis, and validation that can be applied to several research and evaluation projects.
DESIGN & PLANNING
We can assist with data collection and tool design. Experienced researchers can create custom data collection tools and provide on-the-ground, local data collection tailored to meet the needs of your project.
COMMUNICATION
We provide detailed communication services to assist with data and findings reports to meet the needs of all audiences. These services include report writing, management, and data visualization tools.
Supporting Black Student Achievement in Nevada: Opportunities for Growth
In collaboration with the Nevada Department of Education, CREA identified “pockets of excellence” in the state of Nevada, defined as schools experiencing marked growth in improving Black student achievement on the state’s standardized exams. We then conducted in-depth interviews with principals from 10 of those schools to understand evidence-based practices leveraged by school leaders to help improve Black student achievement.
Nevada Portrait of a Learner
CREA supports the Nevada Department of Education initiative, in partnership with Ed.Xtraordinary, Portrait of a Nevada Learner pilot program. School communities across Nevada begin to explore, align, and evolve best practices for learner-centered experiences, using the Portrait of a Nevada Learner as a roadmap.
Nevada’s Pupil-Centered Funding Plan
CREA provides evaluation services for the Nevada Department of Education’s evaluation of Nevada’s new education funding plan, the Pupil-Centered Funding Plan. The new plan collapses categorical funding programs (SB 178, Zoom, Victory, RBG3) into a weighted per-pupil funding formula.
Supporting Black Student Achievement in Nevada: Opportunities for Growth
In collaboration with the Nevada Department of Education, CREA identified “pockets of excellence” in the state of Nevada, defined as schools experiencing marked growth in improving Black student achievement on the state’s standardized exams. We then conducted in-depth interviews with principals from 10 of those schools to understand evidence-based practices leveraged by school leaders to help improve Black student achievement.
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How Title I Expenditures on Class Size Reduction Shaped CCSD Student Outcomes
During the 2021-22 school year, 73% of schools in the Clark County School District (CCSD) qualified for federal dollars under Title I program criteria. Expectedly, CCSD receives the bulk of Nevada’s Title I dollars, which are largely expended on hiring additional teachers for the express purpose of class size reduction. In this report, CREA presents the results of our evaluation of the impact of Title I class size reduction on student outcomes and the processes by which those dollars were used by school leaders to reduce class sizes.
Download PDF 2021 – 2022 FIRST NEVADA SURVEY REPORT
Founded in 2005, FIRST Nevada is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization promoting FIRST® robotics programs and STEAM education initiatives in Nevada. Their mission is to “inspire young people to become science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that lead to innovation, and foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”
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