Bill Bickel, is a Senior Scientist at the Learning Research and Development Center (LRDC), and a Professor of Administrative Policy Studies in the School of Education, University of Pittsburgh. At LRDC he co-directs the Evaluation for Learning Project (EFL). The EFL works with local and national institutions on the design, documentation, evaluation, and strategic assessment of a wide variety of educational programs and reform efforts in K-16 settings. An overarching theme in the EFL work is using evaluative inquiry to support improved decision-making by educational leaders, practitioners, and policy shapers. His research interests include evaluation methodology, research on evaluation utilization in various organizational and policy contexts, and research and evaluation on urban education reform policy and program implementations. His work related to educational reform has focused on documenting of the implementation and effects of programs and practices designed to improve school and teacher effectiveness through various school restructuring and professional development initiatives. He has written extensively on the implications of the research on “effective schools” for improving educational practice. These lines of reform research grow out of earlier research summarized in his book written with William Cooley entitled “Decision-oriented Educational Research” based upon a seven year series of case studies of educational reform in Pittsburgh. Documentation research projects over the years have been funded by a number of foundations (e.g., the Ford, Kellogg, NSF, R. K. Mellon, and Grable Foundations, and the Lilly Endowment). He recently led the EFL documentation of the “Equity: Getting to All,” district-wide strategic planning process designed to enhance equity in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. This work was supported by the Heinz Endowments. Over the past five years he has been Co-PI on a number of studies related to the Pittsburgh Promise Initiative, a place-based scholarship program designed to increase access to higher education for graduates of Pittsburgh schools.