About

My research interests include the development and application of experimental and quasi-experimental methods (e.g., RCT, IV, RDD, DID, etc.) to issues in education and policy studies. Currently, my methodological work focuses on statistical power analysis and optimal design for longitudinal experiments and multilevel randomized cost-effectiveness trials. My substantive work encompasses research on class size effects, school effectiveness and school improvement, the cost and effectiveness of online learning and teaching, and the impact of interim assessment on student achievement. My methodological work has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation. I have also served as a quantitative methodologist on NSF- and IES-funded projects.

Research Interests

Causal Inference, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Economics of Education, Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Design and Analysis, Longitudinal Data Analysis, Multilevel Model, Quantitative Research, Statistical Power Analysis, Statistics / Applied Stats

Education

• Ph.D. in Measurement and Quantitative Methods and Educational Policy (specialization in Economics of Education), Michigan State University
• M.A. in Economics of Education, Peking University
• B.A. & B.S. in Economics & Statistics, Peking University

Professional Appointments

• Assistant Professor, Research and Evaluation Methodology, School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education, University of Florida, 08/01/2020 - Present
• Assistant Professor, Quantitative Research, Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling, College of Education, University of Alabama, 08/15/2017 - 7/31/2020
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Statistics, Measurement, and Evaluation in Education, Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, 09/01/2015 - 08/14/2017

Selected Grants

Selected Publications

Articles

• Li, W., & Konstantopoulos, S. (2022). Power analysis for moderator effects in longitudinal cluster randomized designs. Educational and Psychological Measurement. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131644221077359
• Li, W., Dong, N., & Maynard, R. A. (2020). Power analysis for two-level multisite randomized cost-effectiveness trials. Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 45(6), 690–718.
• Li, W., & Konstantopoulos, S. (2019). Power computations for polynomial change in block randomized designs. Journal of Experimental Education, 87(4), 575-595.
• Li, W., & Konstantopoulos, S. (2017). Does class size reduction close the achievement gap? Evidence from TIMSS 2011. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 28, 292-330.
• Li, W., & Konstantopoulos, S. (2017). Power analysis for models of change in cluster randomized designs. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 77, 119-142.
• Li, W., & Konstantopoulos, S. (2016). Class size effects on fourth-grade mathematics achievement: Evidence from TIMSS 2011. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 9(4), 503-530.

Presentations

• Li. W. & Konstantopoulos, S. (2022, April). Design Parameters for Planning Longitudinal Experiments in Education. Poster presented at the 2022 AERA Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
• Li, W., Dong, N., Kelcey, B., Spybrook, J. & Maynard, R. (2021, September). Optimal Design in Two-Level Cluster Randomized Cost-Effectiveness Trials. Paper presented at the 2021 SREE Virtual Annual Meeting.

Selected Links

• Personal Website
• NSF Project