Stephanie M. Cronen

Managing Researcher

Stephanie Cronen is a managing researcher at AIR. Dr. Cronen’s work during the past 20+ years has focused largely on managing and conducting the technical work of large-scale research studies, including survey research, experimental studies, and mixed-methods studies in adult education, professional development, and workforce preparation. Currently, she serves as the principal investigator for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)-funded CREATE Adult Skills Network and the Teaching Skills That Matter-SkillBlox Instructional Support Pilot.

In addition, Dr. Cronen is directing the National Study of the Implementation of Adult Education Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, administered by IES and funded through the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE). She also serves as deputy director of the National Reporting System for Adult Education, in support of OCTAE.

Previous to these projects, Dr. Cronen served as the principal investigator for an IES Researcher-Practitioner Partnership grant to develop and pilot a data-driven decisionmaking model for adult learning case managers. She was also the project director on an IES subgrant to AIR through Georgia State University’s Center for the Study of Adult Literacy, the deputy director for two large-scale impact studies in the areas of adult education and professional development.

Ph.D. and M.A., Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, B.A., Sociology and Psychology, University of Michigan

Contact Stephanie M. Cronen

+1.202.403.5000

Related Work

CREATE Adult Skills Network Lead

Over a million adults participate in programs each year that are designed to improve their literacy, English proficiency, and other foundational skills that will prepare them for further education and rewarding jobs. The Collaborative Research for Educating Adults with Technology Enhancements (CREATE Adult Skills Network) is designed to facilitate the ...

Teaching Skills That Matter (TSTM) - SkillBlox Instructional Support Pilot

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act funds over 1,600 programs each year to provide adults with foundational skills development to improve their literacy, numeracy, and English proficiency. To support these programs, the U.S. Department of Education funded the Teaching Skills That Matter initiative. Because educators need digital resources to ...

Helping Adults with Foundational Skill Needs Access Pathways to Economic Mobility

Approximately 1 in 8 U.S. adults lack basic literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy skills, and another 14 million lack a high school diploma. Most of these individuals are unable to access employment opportunities in high-wage and high-demand occupations and industry sectors. PROMISE researchers are reviewing adult education data from the ...

Image of adult students working on laptops

A Quick Word With: Stephanie Cronen on the National Study of the Implementation of Adult Education

03 Jul 2019

The U.S. Department of Education commissioned AIR to conduct a national study to evaluate how adult education operates at the state and local levels, including who adult education providers are, the services they provide, and the challenges they face. Stephanie Cronen answered some questions about adult education and what the ...

Studying Teacher Effectiveness in Adult Education

Despite the important role that adult education can play in students’ lives, research on teachers of adult education is limited. AIR produced four research briefs to provide descriptive information about the characteristics of teachers in adult education and to explore whether teacher characteristics are associated with student achievement in adult ...

The What Works Study for Adult ESL Literacy Students

U.S. Department of Education statistics from 2008 showed that 44 percent of the 2.4 million students in the federally funded adult education program were English as a second language (ESL) students, and of these, about 185,000 were at the lowest ESL level, beginning literacy. The What Works Study for Adult ...

Adult Training and Education: Results from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2016

14 Sep 2017

In 2016, more than one quarter of adults had a nondegree credential—including a postsecondary certificate, occupational license, or occupational certification—according to the latest results from the National Household Education Surveys. This report summarizes key findings from the 2016 Adult Training and Education Survey, which gathered nationally representative data on U.S. ...

National Study of the Implementation of Adult Education Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) Program, authorized under Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), is the main source of federal support for adult basic and literacy education programs for adults who lack basic skills, a high school diploma, or proficiency in English. The ...

Adult ESL Literacy Impact Study

In 2008, nearly half of the students served in federally funded adult education programs were English as a second language (ESL) learners. However, there was limited rigorous research on interventions for this population. This study was conducted to improve the research base on effective instruction for low-literate ESL adults. ...

Promising Practices for Increasing Diversity Among First Responders

30 Dec 2016

First responder fields—including law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency management services—serve a crucial role in the safety and well-being of communities around the country. Public citizens and officials have placed a renewed focus on improving agencies’ relations with their local communities by ensuring that first responders reflect the populations they serve. ...

The Adult Education Training and Education Survey (ATES) Pilot Study

12 Apr 2013

As part of a larger inter-agency effort to develop new federal data on adults’ education, training, and credentials for work, the National Center for Education Statistics and AIR developed and pilot-tested of a set of survey items on industry-recognized certification, state licensure, and educational certificates. ...

“What Works” Study for Adult ESL Literacy Students - Final Report

25 Sep 2010

Most research and practice in second language learning supports the theory that literacy in one language assists literacy development in another language. The reverse hypothesis also is believed to be true—a lack of literacy skills in the native language hinders literacy development in the second language. The “What Works” Study ...

Professional Development Interventions on Early Reading Instruction and Achievement

AIR and MDRC, along with three small-business subcontractors, designed a randomized field trial to examine the impact of professional development (PD) on reading instruction and student achievement. The study combined scientific rigor with an understanding of how schools operate and what schools were doing in an attempt to improve reading ...

Adult Training and Education Survey (ATES)

With a 2009 federal call for U.S. adults to pursue at least one year of higher education and training leading to a credential, it was imperative to measure whether industry-recognized certifications, state and local government-issued licenses, subbaccalaureate educational certificates, and other nondegree credentials were being obtained and the impact they ...