
Since completing my doctoral degree in February 2020 I have been engaged in a variety of professional activities. I am currently employed as a researcher with EDC's school improvement portfolio. I serve as the study director for a nationwide randomized control trial investigating the impact of interactive digital games on middle school students’ historical content knowledge, empathy, and perspective-taking skills. I am also involved in a project that explores the integration of computational thinking into elementary classrooms across the curriculum. In addition, I am in developing new research proposals with K-12 and higher education institutions, museums, and other research organizations.
During the period of 2014-2016 while completing on my dissertation, I worked as an evaluation specialist/research consultant for the New York City Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Readiness. In this role, my primary responsibility was to conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses of academic results achieved by schools at the end of the academic year. The goal of the program was to enhance school-wide leadership practices and strengthen instructional capacities of NYC schools.
Following my work in NYC, I briefly worked as an Education Specialist for the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia's National Center for Education Quality Enhancement. In this role, I facilitated the organization of work groups and focus groups, collected necessary data, and produced reports and policy documents for the Ministry of Education. My work involved developing professional and vocational standards through the use of the DACUM (Developing A Curriculum) methodology.
Between 2003 and 2008, before coming to CIE, I worked for two highly respected language and test preparation schools in Georgia. I started as a teacher and progressed through the ranks to head teacher and ultimately, education center manager. During my tenure, I engaged in recruiting skilled and qualified staff, designing effective academic programs, and creating a positive learning environment which fostered a sense of community within the schools.
Despite the fulfillment that came along with helping students and parents to achieve their academic goals, I began to realize that the education sector in our country was lacking. I concluded that if our country were to provide high-quality education, fewer students would feel the need to pursue education abroad. This led me to prioritize the strengthening of the public education system.
I hold the belief that strong K-12 schools are fundamental to an effective education system, and I became passionate about improving the public school sector in our country. To pursue this aim, I decided to earn a second master's degree in educational leadership from Adelphi University.
After completing my degree, I returned to Georgia in 2010 to work as an education specialist with the USAID Education Management Project. In this role, I contributed to enhancing the country's educational leadership capacity by developing and implementing the Georgian Principal Professional Development Scheme. Additionally, I designed and delivered training programs on school financial management and effective school leadership for principals across the country.
I strongly believe that having good principals is crucial to having good schools. To create a pool of exemplary principals, we must have high-quality professional development programs, encompassing both degree and non-degree, pre-service and in-service, school-based and non-school-based programs. We also need appropriate performance evaluation systems that shape our public and professional accountability system. My ultimate goal is to strengthen the educational leadership in Georgia. [4-23]
Email:tamaraLvitolo@gmail.com