Team

We stand in and across the boundaries of academic, public school, museum, industry, and policy settings. Our varied training and experiences enable us to do things differently and develop innovative, robust approaches to our work.

Jeanne Century
Jeanne Century

Jeanne Century
Director of Outlier Research and Evaluation

Prior to coming to the University of Chicago in 2005, Jeanne Century was a Senior Researcher at Education Development Center (EDC) in Waltham MA. Jeanne has a BA in general science from Brandeis, and a MEd and doctorate in science education curriculum and teaching from Boston University. During her 25-year career, Jeanne has developed science instructional materials for the elementary and middle school levels and has provided professional development, technical assistance and strategic planning for teachers and school, district, and state administrators. Her research has focused on the impact of inquiry science instruction, strategies for improving utilization of research and evaluation, sustainability of reform efforts, innovation implementation and spread, STEM schools, and computer science education. Century served on the Education Policy and Department of Education Agency Review transition teams for the Obama-Biden administration where she was responsible for STEM education and education research and development issues. In 2010, she shared the National Association for Research in Science Teaching award for the most significant publication that year. Jeanne has served on numerous committees and advisory boards for work focused on improving STEM education.

Huifang Zuo
Huifang Zuo
Huifang Zuo

Ask her about Chinese calligraphy, modern literature, and rescue cats.

hzuo@uchicago.edu

Huifang Zuo
Research Specialist III

Huifang Zuo Joined the Outlier team in February 2017 as a Research Specialist III. She is currently working on a range of research projects. She received her Doctoral Degree in Educational Research Methodology and M.A. in Geography Information Science from UNC-Charlotte. With specialty in quantitative methodology, her research has focused on STEM education, neighborhood analysis, self-efficacy, and learning English as a second language. She also conducted geography-related educational research with integrating GIS technologies into education to better explore and understand educational phenomena. Huifang also holds a M.A. in the major of Language Acquisition and Chinese Modern Literature from Beijing Normal University.

Katie Ferris
Stephen Baker
Katie Ferris

Ask him about electric cars, solar panels, dance shows, and being married to a Michigan sports fanatic.

bak5@uchicago.edu

Stephen Baker
Senior Research & Evaluation Scientist

Stephen joined the Outlier team in April 2019 and works on a range of research and evaluation projects. He is currently evaluating an afterschool pilot in Ontario to increase digital literacy and coding skills, efforts to increase Chicago-area schools’ capacity to work with diverse learners, and the Network for College Success’ efforts to increase impact in their partner high schools. Prior to joining Outlier, Stephen worked as a policy researcher at Chapin Hall where he most recently completed a multi-year Department of Education study of 32 Chicago Public Schools using a mindfulness approach to support social and emotional learning and academic success. Since 2012 he has also conducted evaluations through his own evaluation firm, View/Find. He received his PhD and MA from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and holds a BA from Cornell University.

Joanna Schiffman
Joanna Schiffman
Joanna Schiffman

Ask her about podcasts, NYTimes crossword puzzles, or hiking in New England

jschiffman@uchicago.edu

Joanna Schiffman
Research & Evaluation Associate

Joanna joined the Outlier team in September 2019 after completing her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology. She previously worked at University of Chicago as a part of the research team for the NSF-funded Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center (SILC). Her past research examined the development of early mathematical thinking, with particular focuses on how cognitive, metacognitive, classroom, and environmental factors influence children's problem solving strategies, numerical understanding, and spatial skills. She received her Ph.D. from Boston College Lynch School of Education & Human Development and her B.A. in Psychology from Wesleyan University.

Get in touch

For general questions about Outlier Research & Evaluation, please contact:
Dr. Jeanne Century, Director
jcentury@uchicago.edu
773-702-2276

For questions about STEM Schools research or working with your STEM school, please contact:
Dr. Jeanne Century, Director
jcentury@uchicago.edu
773-702-2276

For questions about working with us on an evaluation project, please contact:
Dr. Jeanne Century, Director
jcentury@uchicago.edu
773-702-2276

For questions about implementation measurement please contact:
Dr. Jeanne Century, Director
jcentury@uchicago.edu
773-702-2276

Photos by Jerry Cargill

Outlier Research & Evaluation
University of Chicago
1427 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL
60637

Phone: 773-702-2276

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