Herbert M. Turner

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Adjunct Associate Professor

Human Development and Quantitative Methods Division

Contact

hmturner@upenn.edu

(215) 808-8880

Media Inquiries:
Contact Penn GSE Communications.

Education

Ph.D. (Education: Policy Research, Evaluation and Measurement) University of Pennsylvania, 2002
M.A. (Public Administration: Finance and Statistics) University of Delaware, 1985
B.Sc. (Economics) University of Delaware, 1983

Areas of Expertise

K-12 math curricula
Reading, writing, & literacy
Teach For America
Randomized & quasi-experiments
Systematic reviews & meta-analysis
Statistical modeling & cost effectiveness

Programs

Penn Chief Learning Officer Ed.D.

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Biography

Professional Biography

Dr. Herb Turner is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education’s Quantitative Methods Division, where he teaches graduate-level courses in statistics and statistical programming. He has over 30 years of experience conducting empirical investigations consistent with scientifically valid research in education and related areas. Dr. Turner is Founder, President, and Principal Scientist of ANALYTICA, Inc., a woman-owned and minority-led small business that specializes in using scientifically-valid research methods to address policy-relevant education problems. During the past decade, he contributed to innovative and cutting-edge initiatives designed to transform education research into an evidence-based, scientifically valid field. These initiatives include the Campbell Collaboration (C2); the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC); the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Program; and most recently the Investing in Innovation (i3) program and the Social Innovation Fund (SIF).

Dr. Turner is a member of the Abt i3 Technical Assistance Leadership team responsible for assisting i3 grantees with producing experimental and quasi-experimental impact evaluations that meet i3 and WWC evidence standards. He also serves a Senior Policy Research Advisor to several universities and research firms, including the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska, Center for Responsive Schools, and Westat. Dr. Turner is WWC certified reviewer and routinely conducts WWC quick reviews and single-study reviews for the Department of Education. He is also a standing member of the Reading, Writing, and Language Development review panel for Institute for Education Sciences. He recently served as a discussion panelist for the NSF-funded Technical Evaluation Assistance in Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) project webinar entitled Establishing Comparison Groups.

Dr. Turner continues to publish in peer-reviewed journals on randomized trials, systematic reviews, standards for impact evaluations, meta-analysis, and other related topics. He is a member of the IES Peer Review Panel for Reading, Writing, and Language Development, and teaches courses on statistical programming and statistical analysis.

Research Interests and Current Projects

Dr. Turner currently conducts large-scale experimental and quasi-experimental research on what educational interventions work in K-12 education. This includes randomized experiments on the effectiveness of K-12 math curricula, quasi-experiments on early childhood learning interventions, and systematic reviews on early childhood learning, social-emotional learning, and Teach For America. He also serves as Technical Assistant Liaison to i3 evaluators conducting independent evaluations on a range of interventions from College Possible to LearningbyMaking.

Publications

Selected Publications

Turner, H. M., Goodman, D., Adachi, E., Brite, J., & Decker, L. (2012). Evaluation of Teach For America in Texas schools. San Antonio, TX: Edvance Research, Inc.

Boruch, R., Weisburd, D., Turner, H. M., Karpyn, A., & Littell, J. (2009). Randomized controlled trials for evaluation and planning. The SAGE Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods, 147–181. doi:10.4135/9781483348858.n5

Turner H. M., & Nye, C. (Commentary authors, 2007). Features of interventions that appear to result in positive impact in treatment of children with autism. Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention, 1(2), 65–66.

Turner, H. M., Nye, C., Ortiz, M., Liu, E., & Eisenstein, E. L. (2007). Producing systematic reviews of interventions in speech–language pathology: A framework for sustainability. Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention, 1(4), 201–212.

Turner, H. M., & Bernard, R. M. (2006, Spring). Calculating and synthesizing effect sizes. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 33, 42–55.

Wade, A., Turner, H. M., Rothstein, H., & Lavenberg, J. (2006). Information retrieval and the role of the information specialist in producing high quality systematic reviews in the social, behavioral, and education sciences. Evidence and Policy, 2(1), 89–108.

Nye, C., Turner, H. M., & Schwartz, J. (2006). Effects of parental involvement on elementary school students' academic achievement. The Campbell Collaboration.

Turner, H. M., & Bernard, R. M. (2006). Calculating and synthesizing effect sizes. Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders, 33, 42–55.

Boruch, R., May, H., Turner, H. M., et al. (2004). Estimating the effects of interventions deployed in many places. American Behavioral Scientist, 47(5), 608–625.

Boruch, R. F., Leow, C., DeMoya, D., Turner, H. M., Petrosino, A., Foley, E., & Grimshaw, J. (2004). Place-based randomized field trials. American Behavioral Scientist.

Gadsden, V. L., Stanton, E. F., & Turner, H. M. (2003). Situated identities of young, African American fathers in low-income urban settings: Perspectives on home, street, and the system. Family Court Review, 41(3), 381–399.

Turner, H. M., Boruch, R., Petrosino, A., Lavenberg, J., de Moya, D., & Rothstein, H. (2003). Populating an international web-based randomized trials register in the social, behavioral, criminological, and education sciences. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 589, 203–223.

Turner, H. M., Boruch, R., Ncube, M., & Turner, A. Teach For America (TFA) for improving math, language arts, and science achievement of primary and secondary students in the United States: A systematic review protocol. The Campbell Collaboration.

Turner, H. M., Boruch, R. F., DeMoya, D., Petrosino, A., Lavenberg, J., & Rothstein, H. (2003). Populating a trials register. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 589, 203–223.

Supovitz, J. A., & Turner, H. M. (2000). The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(9), 963–980.