Maria Stephens

Senior Researcher

Maria Stephens is a senior researcher at AIR. In this capacity, Stephens provides analytic, writing, and other technical support for projects, with two foci in recent years: on coordinating international activities in the area of assessment and indicators and on district-level education reform. Currently, Stephens manages the school review process for the Say Yes to Education effort in the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) and also provides support to the National Center for Education Statistics’ International Activities Program (IAP).

Explore the interactive TIMSS Stats in Brief, co-authored by Stephens, that examines changes between 2011 and 2019 in the achievement gaps between high- and low- performing students.

For AIR’s partnership with Say Yes, she plays a leadership role in conceptualizing site visit data collection, analysis, and reporting for reports on over 30 schools in SCSD. In 2011, she improved the template for the school reports and managed the quality control process again, bringing cohesion across a larger team of writers. In 2012, she managed the transition of the school review activity to that of a research and development activity, with increased collaboration with the district. For IAP, she leads activities to improve the utilization of international data at the domestic level (e.g., developing an international research database, indicator reports, and reports comparing international and domestic assessments) and assists staff in making strategic decisions regarding the future of the Program for International Assessment.

In addition to her work on Say Yes and in the international arena, Stephens has served as writer and editor on numerous projects, including the recent Scientific Evidence in Education Forums project. A sample of other work includes: technical reports comparing the content of national and international mathematics and science assessments; an article for the Canadian and International Education journal on indicators of education outcomes; a chapter in the book Key Competencies for a Successful Life and a Well-Functioning Society; and a primer for the U.S. Agency for International Development on measuring learning outcomes in developing countries. She also is co-editor of Comparing Learning Outcomes: International Assessment and Education Policy (2004) and From Students of Teaching to Teachers of Students: Teacher Induction Around the Pacific Rim (1997).

Maria Stephens
Expertise
Education
International Comparisons in Education

M.P.P., Public Policy, University of Maryland; B.A., Foreign Affairs, University of Virginia

Contact Maria Stephens

+1.202.403.5000
Related Work
Hand and pencil taking a test

Synthesizing NAEP and International Large-Scale Assessment Score Trends: A Pattern of Diverging Performance

20 Oct 2022
This study brings together results from NAEP and three international large-scale assessments to examine long-term, intermediate, and recent score trends in reading, mathematics, and science for U.S. students in 4th grade, in 8th grade, and at 15 years old. The analysis finds a relatively consistent pattern across these assessments: performance ...
NAEP PISA Report cover

A Comparison Study of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2013 Mathematics Assessments

06 May 2016
This study compares the mathematics frameworks and item pools used in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) with the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and vice versa. In addition to that, differences in item features between the two assessments are described.

A Comparison Between the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Frameworks in Science, Technology and Engineering Literacy, and Mathematics

01 May 2016
New national standards documents have been developed over the past few years in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and are leading to major changes in state curricula and assessments. This study provides information primarily on the extent of alignment between the Next Generation Science Standards and National ...

Is Reading Contagious? Examining Parents’ and Children’s Reading Attitudes and Behaviors

05 Jan 2016
When children have positive reading attitudes and behaviors, they generally also demonstrate strong reading skills. Drawing on data from the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, this brief and related webinar recording examine whether parents’ reading attitudes and behaviors are shared by their children. ...
Maria Stephens

How Some Disadvantaged Students Beat the Odds and Succeed in School

30 Jun 2015
Recent research found that the number one factor driving success among the students studied is educational aspiration. In order words, those students who believe they will go on to a master’s degree and beyond are, in fact, more likely to succeed. Maria Stephens asserts that understanding the factors that influence ...

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Students Who Are Academically Successful

15 Mar 2015
Academically resilient students are those students who are academically successful, despite coming from the socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds that have typically predicted poorer educational outcomes. This brief uses 2011 eighth-grade data from the TIMSS to explore (1) how prevalent academically resilient students are across education systems and (2) what factors are ...

Foundation Investment in Education Reform

28 Jan 2014
Foundations in the United States make substantial investments in public education, nearly $5 billion in 2010. They do so for a variety of reasons that include improving educational conditions and outcomes, supporting innovation, and increasing access for the underserved. The potential reach and impact of foundation involvement is clearly significant, ...

Analysis of the Title III Professional Development Program

The National Professional Development Program (NPDP) supports projects designed to increase the pool of teachers who are highly qualified to work with ELLs and to improve the skills of teachers who are currently serving these students. On behalf of the Program and Policy Studies Service at the U.S. Department of ...

Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) is an international comparative study of the mathematics and science achievement of fourth- and eighth-graders in the United States and students in the equivalent of fourth and eighth grade in other participating countries.

Comparing Science Content in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 Assessments

01 Mar 2006
This report compares the content of two science assessments for grades 4 and 8, and provides information useful for interpreting and comparing results from the two assessments, based on an in-depth look at the content of the respective frameworks and assessment items.