Barbara Condliffe has over two decades of experience as an educator and education researcher whose work is focused on generating and applying evidence aimed at improving students’ access to and experience of schooling. Most recently, her research has centered on evaluating strategies to personalize learning (for example, through tutoring and education technology), assessing efforts to support student behavior and social emotional learning in schools, and designing and testing interventions that help students and families navigate school choice systems and educational transitions.
At MDRC, Condliffe has led several large-scale studies and rigorous evaluations, including the National Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Behavior, conducted for the U.S. Department of Education. She is currently leading implementation research for the Personalized Learning Initiative, which is evaluating tutoring programs in schools across the country. Condliffe also helps to lead MDRC’s efforts to partner with public and nonprofit education agencies to translate research insights into program improvements. Previously, she led MDRC’s work with New York City Public Schools to understand barriers families face in the kindergarten application process and to design improvements. She also served as co-principal investigator on the City University of New York’s Transfer Opportunity Project, an effort to address barriers facing students transferring from community college to four-year institutions.
Before joining MDRC, Condliffe conducted education research with the Baltimore Education Research Consortium, among other organizations, and taught English in New York City Public Schools. She holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Johns Hopkins University, where she was an Institute for Education Sciences predoctoral fellow.
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Other Publications
Condliffe, Barbara, Rekha Balu, Margaret Hennessy, and Rachel Leopold. 2020. “The Promise of a Collaborative Approach to Problem-Solving and Innovation-Testing: Reflections from a New Research-Practice Partnership in New York City.” NNERPP Extra 2, 2: 14–18.
Hsueh, JoAnn, Barbara Condliffe, William Corrin, Samantha Steimle, Rekha Balu, Margaret Hennessy, Sharon Huang, Vianny Lugo-Aracena, Michelle Maier, Shira Mattera, Shay O’ Brien, Amena Sengal, Jed Teres, Samantha Wulfson, and Jennifer Yeaton. 2021. "Building Toward Effectiveness.” The Future of Children 31, 1: 161–168.
McCormick, Meghan P., Mirjana Pralica, Paola Guerrero-Rosada, Christina Weiland, JoAnn Hsueh, Barbara Condliffe, and Catherine Snow. 2021. “Can Center-Based Care Reduce Summer Slowdown Prior to Kindergarten? Exploring Variation by Family Income, Race/Ethnicity, and Dual Language Learner Status.” American Educational Research Journal 58, 2: 420–455.
Alexander, Karl, and Barbara Falk Condliffe. 2016. "Summer Setback in Baltimore: A Review and Update." Pages 23-34 in Karl Alexander, Sarah Pitcock, and Matthew Boulay (eds.), The Summer Slide: What We Know and Can Do About Summer Learning Loss. New York: Teachers College Press.
Condliffe, Barbara. 2016. “Selecting Summer: How Elementary School Parents Make Choices About Summer Programs.” Pages 146-160 in Karl Alexander, Sarah Pitcock, and Matthew Boulay (eds.), The Summer Slide: What We Know and Can Do About Summer Learning Loss. New York: Teachers College Press.
Condliffe, Barbara F., Melody L. Boyd, and Stefanie DeLuca. 2015. "Stuck in School: How Social Context Shapes School Choice for Inner-City Students." Teachers College Record 117, 3: 1-36.
Plank, Stephen B., and Barbara Falk Condliffe. 2013. "Pressures of the Season: An Examination of Classroom Quality and High-Stakes Accountability." American Educational Research Journal 50, 5: 1152-1182.