Director of Research and Evaluation | Drama for Schools

With her expertise pedagogy, research design, and systems change, Stephanie is Director of Research and Evaluation for Drama for Schools, a collaborative professional development program model in drama-based pedagogy. 

An affiliation between the Departments of Theatre and Education at the University of Texas at Austin, this nationally heralded program creates intentional partnerships with educators and administrators interested in exploring the potential of drama-based pedagogy to increase student engagement and meaning making across the curriculum. Far from a one-off professional development approach, Drama for Schools focuses on sustainable, whole school change.

Drama For Schools facilitates training for teachers, administrators, and community members interested in the application of drama-based instructional strategies (role play, improvisation, active learning techniques), provides partnering school districts with ongoing data on projected outcomes, and shares program outcomes with community stakeholders and at related state, national, and international conferences.

From its hometown of Austin to Texas' Rio Grande Valley to a small village in Alaska, Drama for Schools has partnered with schools and communities across the country for over 15 years. It has recently expanded into international partnerships, including locations in Australia, Bosnia, and Taiwan. Drama for Schools truly captures the UT Austin motto: What Starts Here Changes The World.