Senior Research Associate Susan Henderson leads a number of evaluation, education research, and standards-based school reform projects.

A member of Learning Innovations at WestEd, Henderson is leading the evaluation of the National Science Foundation-funded GEOTEACH: Transforming Earth System Science, a multi-university partnership among the University of New Hampshire, Pennsylvania State University, Elizabeth City University, and Dillard University. This project addresses the need to develop highly qualified middle school and high school teachers in the geosciences.

Henderson is examining the impact of the GEOTEACH project on the content and pedagogical content knowledge of in-service and pre-service teachers in Earth system science. She is also providing feedback on program implementation that will impact the refinement and achievement of program goals and objectives.

As a result of Henderson's work on the GEOTEACH evaluation, the project staff at the four universities, which includes two historically black colleges, will be able to refine and sustain a model of professional development that will be transferable to other institutions of higher education nationwide.

Henderson has been the principal investigator of two studies under the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands (REL NEI): a quasi-experimental study, The Impact of Benchmark Assessments on Student Achievement in Mathematics, and the Examination of Potential Growth Models Using MCAS Mathematics Scores.

In addition, she serves as the methodological expert on another REL NEI study for the U.S. Virgin Islands: Understanding the Academic Performance of Hispanic Students in the Virgin Islands. Henderson's work has resulted in regional leaders both requesting further study of benchmark assessment practices and considering rethinking the use of growth modeling approaches at the national, state, and local education agency levels.

A member of WestEd since 2004, Henderson has contributed to many professional development, planning, and technology use evaluation projects for state education agencies in Alaska, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and the U.S. Virgins Islands, as well as for such organizations as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

In addition, she has worked on state-level assessment development in English language arts and mathematics in Nevada and Pennsylvania, as well as measures of change in teacher knowledge on National Science Foundation projects. Her involvement has improved the design and quality of assessment related products and technical assistance provided at the national, state, and district level.

Prior to joining WestEd, Henderson ran her own consulting company, where her projects included refining the Performance Measurement System for state and community colleges for the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and creating a series of assessments for Oxford University Press’ East Asian market.

Henderson also served as a Research Associate with the Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy and the International Study Center at Boston College's Lynch School of Education. In addition, she taught English to speakers of other languages in the United States and Japan, serving as an administrator in both refugee and higher education.

She received a BA in English literature from Boston College, an MA in teaching English as a second language from the School for International Training, and a PhD in educational research measurement and evaluation from The Lynch School of Education at Boston College.