Center for Research, Evaluation, and Assessment
Research Staff
Michael Coe: Research Unit Director
Michael Coe, Ph.D., Research Unit Director, is a clinical and research psychologist with 16 years of experience in clinical, social and educational research, clinical treatment, and psychological and educational assessment. His published articles and research reports include papers on the evaluation of educational technology, adolescent and adult development, cognitive psychology, family violence, and alcohol and drug use. Currently, his primary research interests include science and environmental education, the use of information technology in schools, and the use of formative assessment in the teaching of writing. He supervises research design and data analysis for a number of NWREL projects, and provides consulting on research and evaluation planning, measurement, research design, statistical issues and data interpretation.
Makoto Hanita: Senior Research Associate
Makoto Hanita, Ph.D. is a Senior Research Associate responsible for providing consultation and comprehensive services for study design and quantitative data analysis. Hanita received a Ph.D. in social psychology with a minor in cognitive psychology from Indiana University in 1995, specializing in the domain of behavioral decision research. He has extensive experience in health services and education research, both as a content expert in decision science and as a research methodologist. His current emphasis includes design, planning and data analysis for research and evaluation studies that include multilevel, clustered designs, such as educational studies spanning multiple classrooms, schools or districts.
Vicki Nishioka: Senior Research Associate
Dr. Nishioka has twenty years of experience in program development, supervision, and in-service training models for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Published articles, book chapters, and research reports include papers on alternative education, special education, and vocational programs for children and youth at high risk for school failure. Her current responsibilities include assisting with the design and implementation of a large cluster-randomized experimental study of writing instruction. She also develops and implements research proposals and evaluation in early childhood and prevention programs. Before joining NWREL, Dr. Nishioka was a Research Associate/Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon for six years. In this position, she was the instructor for graduate level classroom management and advanced behavior management courses. In addition, Dr. Nishioka conducted research and experiments in school safety, universal screening procedures for students with emotional and behavior disorders, and alternative education. She also conducted evaluation for three Safe Schools/Healthy Students federal initiatives that included developing the evaluation design, data collection procedures, data analyses, and report writing for school safety, mental health, juvenile justice, law enforcement, and early childhood services.
Kathy Petersen: Management Specialist
Contact Kathy Petersen for information on contracts and budgets.
Richard Smiley: Senior Research Associate
Dr. Smiley's background is in educational psychology. Early in his career he served as a school psychologist and vocational evaluator. Before joining NWREL, Dr. Smiley worked at the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development for 18 years. After 14 years serving Alaska in special education he became state director of the Office of Assessment and Data Management. He has extensive experience in evaluating district programs for compliance with state and federal regulations in special education and assessment, as well as providing technical assistance to rural and urban school districts. He was instrumental in implementing Alaska's large-scale standards-based assessment system and the Department's first electronic state-wide student data tracking system. Additionally, Dr. Smiley was the Department's State Coordinator for Gifted Education for 8 years as well as a program manager, staff trainer, supervisor and mediator.