Dr. Julie Edmunds is Director of the Early College Research Center at SERVE, where she leads a team doing research on the early college model and related topics. She has been studying early college and dual enrollment for almost 20 years; her research includes a 17-year experimental study of the impact of early colleges and evaluations of multiple large-scale efforts across the country to apply early college principles to traditional high schools. She is also Principal Investigator of a $5 million grant examining the impact, implementation, and cost of North Carolina’s dual enrollment program, as well as a grant examining the transferability of college credits earned in high school. Dr. Edmunds additionally conducts evaluation and research on other school improvement topics using designs ranging from randomized controlled trials to developmental, formative approaches. She has published multiple award-winning articles and has written, with colleagues, a book on Early Colleges as a Model for Schooling.

Dr. Nina Arshavsky joined SERVE as a Senior Research Associate in 2008. Dr. Arshavsky’s research and evaluation projects focus on STEM and high school reform efforts. She has also focused on studying the Early College High School model, the implementation of this model, and how it impacts student learning and postsecondary outcomes. She served as a Project Director for a number of projects, including the evaluation of the NSF-funded ATE project MechTech Institute; the evaluation of the Math and Science Partnership ASSIST; the evaluation of the Race to the Top STEM initiative; and the evaluation of North Carolina Department of Public Instruction state-wide professional development initiative on formative assessment, and coordinated an evaluation of the STEM Early College Expansion Partnership. Currently, she leads an evaluation of the Smart Foodscapes project funded by The National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and evaluates early college and dual enrollment implementations in the states of Indiana and North Carolina.

For nearly 30 years, Dr. Arshavsky’s work has spanned all aspects of math education, particularly in the middle and high school levels, including research and evaluation, curriculum development and professional development.

Karla has been part of a team studying three different efforts to implement early college strategies in comprehensive high schools, leading the implementation study of work being done in Texas and Colorado. Dr. Lewis has developed extensive skills in monitoring fidelity of implementation. She is also interested in how organizations, districts, and schools monitor and document the implementation phase of ECHS initiatives.

Eric has over 10 years of experience with the ECHS model from several different perspectives. He taught math and science at an ECHS in North Carolina; he led research and development work at an organization supporting a multi-state network of ECHS; and he was project director for a study evaluating the impact of an effort to implement early college strategies in comprehensive high schools. He is currently principal investigator of a newly funded project that is evaluating the implementation and impact of a network of early college programs within rural comprehensive high schools.

Bryan has been part of the evaluation team examining the impacts of efforts to implement early college strategies in comprehensive high schools. He has a strong interest in non-college-bound youth and is particularly interested in early college settings where students earn technical credentials. He recently published an article on why ECHS graduates might not continue on to further education.

Laura is part of the research team examining the implementation of North Carolina’s dual enrollment pathways and the evaluation of a network of schools in Indiana aimed at increasing the adoption of early college practices. She is interested in programs and policies that promote post-secondary access and success.

Marieke Visser joined SERVE as a Quantitative Research Specialist in July 2024. With a Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences (Quantitative Methods, Measurement, and Statistics), she has expertise in a whole range of advanced statistical techniques and particularly enjoys applying her statistical toolbox to real world issues and problems. She also values communicating complex ideas in easy-to-understand language.