Dawn Carpenter

Dawn M. H. Carpenter is an Assistant Director of Research Programs with the Center for Prevention Research and Development (CPRD) at the University of Illinois. With a MA in Anthropology from the University of Hawai’i, Dawn’s background is in cultural anthropology and qualitative data collection. Dawn joined CPRD in 1999 and has expertise in mixed-methods evaluation design, program evaluation, and large-scale data collection. Dawn manages projects that support community-based prevention programs, educational reform, after-school programs, and youth development programs to support data-based decision making, improve best practices, and inform policy for youth and adolescents primarily in the middle grades. Currently she is coordinating the evaluation of two projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education—the Middle-Grades Leadership Development Project, which is focused on improving the skills and behaviors of middle-grades principals and leadership teams, and – the Power of Two: Pairing Literacy and Numeracy Project, which provides professional learning for middle-grades math and English teachers to improve their instructional routines.