This course focuses on collecting, analyzing, and using quantitative data to solve applied problems of practice in evaluating educational institutions, programs, and policies. Following a two-part research methods series, this course further prepares you to engage in a meaningful inquiry process, as consumer of empirical knowledge and/or researcher/evaluator. This course’s main objective is to help you build skills you will need to thoughtfully produce and/or critically consume research and evaluation studies as informed leaders in organizations. This course will deepen your research literacy and sharpen the lenses by which you are able to discern varying qualities of knowledge and to better understand how valid and reliable knowledge is constructed. We will practice applied research techniques and critically assess study design, instrumentation, data collection procedures, findings, and interpretations from relevant research and evaluation studies. Additionally, we will explore current global issues (local, state, national, international) in testing and measurement and their implications for decision-making in high stakes settings.