Dr Callie Womble Edwards

About Callie

Dr. Callie Womble Edwards is an Educational Researcher with a multidisciplinary background in public health, workforce development, learning outcomes assessment, program evaluation, and student affairs. Dr. Edwards holds a Ph.D. in Educational Research and Policy Analysis from North Carolina State University (NCSU) and a M.P.H. in Health Behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has significant research experience centering underrepresented populations such as women and racial and ethnic minorities in health, education, and STEM. Her dissertation explored the counternarratives of high-achieving Black male engineering majors, and earned the NCSU 2018 Higher Education Dissertation of the Year Award, and an honorable mention from the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education 2019 Dissertation of the Year Award selection committee.

Since 2018, she has served as a Research Associate at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. In this role, she evaluates educational initiatives using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and leads the planning and day-to-day operations for eight research and evaluation projects. Additionally, a major aspect of Dr. Edwards’ work is developing and maintaining effective research-practice partnerships (RPPs) with schools and districts. RPPs provide a new pathway in educational research methodology by engaging researchers and practitioners in collaborative, iterative, and systemic inquiry. Dr. Edwards serves on the Steering Committee of the National Network of Education Research-Practice Partnerships (NNERPP), and is an inaugural NC State Impact Scholar. She is also the project manager of the Friday Institute Educational Research and Evaluation Internship program for undergraduate students. In 2020, she was nominated for the NC State University Award for Excellence, the most prestigious honor bestowed upon non-faculty employees.

Prior to joining the Friday Institute, Dr. Edwards served as a Research Specialist at the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and a Research Assistant in the Office of Assessment at NCSU.

Resources

• Intentional and Consistent: SEL in Action at Visitation Catholic School (Case Study)

  Co-Author
  Visitation Catholic School developed an action plan around the implementation of social and emotional learning.
• Teaching for the Long Haul: Professionalizing Career Pathways for North Carolina Teachers (White Paper)

  Co-Author
  In 2016, the North Carolina General Assembly provided support for school districts across North Carolina to propose and implement pilot advanced teaching roles programs that would allow highly effective classroom teachers to take on leadership roles in their schools and reach more students. Six districts were chosen to develop pilot programs attuned to their local needs. As an extension of their formal three-year evaluation of these six pilots, and with the support of the Belk Foundation, the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University completed “deep dive” closer-look investigations of three of the six pilot programs.
• Teacher Compensation Models and Advanced Teaching Roles Pilot Programs (Report)

  Co-Author
  This evaluation report—the fourth and final one commissioned by the North Carolina State Board of Education—summarizes qualitative results from the third year of the initiative and quantitative analyses from the first two years of implementation. In general, most of the qualitative indicators were again positive, and in the areas for which one-year and two-year quantitative estimations were possible there also were continuing signs of positive outcomes.
• “Becoming Embedded In What We Do” The Implementation and Impact of the Learning Differences Program at Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, North Carolina (Case Study)

  Co-Author
  This case study details the implementation and impact of the Learning Differences program at Centennial Campus Magnet Middle School (CCMMS) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Section one provides an overview of the Learning Differences program. Section two describes how the Learning Differences program was implemented at CCMMS and how data were collected. Section three draws on qualitative and quantitative data to illustrate nine key lessons learned from the implementation process as well as the program’s impact on students. The authors intend for this case study to be a practical resource that schools and districts can reference as they implement their own learning differences initiatives.
• “A Constant Conversation” The Implementation and Impact of the Learning Differences Program at Manning Elementary School in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina (Case Study)

  Co-Author
  This case study details the implementation and impact of the Learning Differences program at Manning Elementary School (MES) in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Section one provides an overview of the Learning Differences program. Section two describes how the Learning Differences program was implemented at MES and how data were collected. Section three draws on qualitative and quantitative data to illustrate the program’s impact on MES teachers and students. Section four discusses the seven key lessons learned from the implementation process. The authors intend for this case study to be a practical resource that schools and districts can reference as they implement their own learning differences initiatives.

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