Provides research, evaluation, consulting, and technical assistance services that contribute to the lifelong process of learning and improving personal performance.

Produces and disseminates information to provide motivation and tools to enable individuals to make informed decisions about health issues.

Develops and implements education testing programs that benefit students, parents and public officals.

Works with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the government's primary source for collecting and analyzing data about public education.

Helps to provide all children with access to a quality education, and empowers people, organizations, and communities to bring about social change.

Is committed to helping clients improve the effectiveness of their workforce through a wide range of management, organizational, and business improvement efforts.

Produces, maintains and disseminates systematic reviews of the effects of social and behavioral interventions.

Rita J. Kirshstein, Ph.D.

Managing Director

Rita J. Kirshstein, Ph.D., a Managing Director in the Education and Human Development Program, has more than 25 years of experience in the areas of higher education policy and program evaluation. Her work with the National Commission on the Cost of Higher Education resulted in the report, Straight Talk about College Costs and Prices. She has led numerous other studies for the U.S. Department of Education, Congress, and the state of Maryland that have focused on the costs of providing higher education, the price students and their families pay, and financial aid programs and policies.

Dr. Kirshstein has also been involved with a number of other higher education projects. These projects include studies of faculty in two- and four-year colleges and universities, the experiences of students who are deaf and hard of hearing in higher education, science and engineering research facilities on college and university campuses, and teacher preparation programs. These studies have resulted in numerous publications, reports, and presentations, concluding Workforce Contingent Financial Aid: How States Link Financial Aid to Employment, Straight Talk about College Costs and Prices , and Partitioning Part-time Faculty: Exploring the Diversity of Part-time Faculty.

Dr. Kirshstein has also taught at the college level, authored numerous reports and articles, participated in state and national conferences, been appointed to two county commissions and served on the boards of two nonprofit organizations.