
A political scientist who made the transition into educational policy research after more than a decade of research on both the Northern Ireland conflict and the political transformation of Europe after 1989, Martha Mac Iver has focused her recent research on early-warning indicators and the effectiveness of numerous school and district educational interventions designed to improve student achievement. She recently led two five-year IES-funded studies, one to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of professional development equipping high school teachers to increase student motivation in order to successfully earn all required course credits, and the other on continuous improvement of family engagement efforts focused on improving student outcomes in the transition to high school. She also collaborated on a recent IES-funded efficacy study of an early warning system intervention to improve ninth grade attendance and course passing.
From 2012-15 she led a three-year external evaluation for an Investment in Innovations (i3) development project (summer school STEM program). She also led a study helping several Colorado districts understand the behavioral characteristics of their dropout populations in 2008-09, and held a senior urban research fellowship (2009-11) from the Council of the Great City Schools to study dropout predictors in Baltimore.
From 2004-07 she was a co-investigator on a National Science Foundation-funded study of the achievement effects of a decade of educational reforms in Philadelphia. She has also studied educational reform efforts in the Baltimore City public schools for the past two decades, and is a researcher with the Baltimore Education Research Consortium She is associate editor of the Journal of Education for Students Placed At Risk (JESPAR).
EDUCATION
Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1984, Political Science B.A., Michigan State University, 1977, West European Studies
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2012 – present Associate Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University.
2008 – 2012 Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University.
Senior Urban Research Fellow, Council of the Great City Schools, 2009-11.
1998 – 2008 Associate Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, Johns Hopkins University.
1996 – 1998 Senior Evaluation Specialist, Office of Employment Development, City of Baltimore.
1989 – 1996 Social Science Analyst (GS13), Office of Research, United States Information Agency, Washington, D.C.
1985 – 1989 Assistant Professor of Political Science, Occidental College, Los Angeles.
1984 – 1985 Research Associate, Inter‑University Consortium for Political and Social Research, Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan.
Fall 1984 Adjunct Lecturer, Early Political Theory, University of Michigan‑Dearborn.
Spring 1983 Lecturer, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan.
1979 – 1982 Teaching Assistant for Introduction to Political Theory and Introduction to Comparative Politics, University of Michigan, and for Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis, Inter‑University Consortium for Political and Social Research Summer Program.
1977 – 78 Assistant Editor for Contemporary Authors, Gale Research Company, Detroit, Michigan.
1976 English Teaching Assistant at C.E.S. Pasteur (French secondary school), Tours, France (employed by French Ministry of Education).
ARTICLES IN PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS
Mac Iver, M. A., Mac Iver, D.J., & Clark, E. (In press). Helping high school teachers to effectively engage students: Exploring the potential of a professional development series. Preventing School Failure.
Mac Iver, M. A., Wills, K., Sheldon, S. & Clark, E., &Mac Iver, D. J. (2021). Urban parents at the portal: Family use of web-based information on student course grades. School Community Journal, 31, 85-108.
Mac Iver, M.A., Wills, K., Cruz, A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2021). The impact of nudge letters on improving attendance in an urban district. Education and Urban Society. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245211004561
Mac Iver, M. A., Sheldon, S. & Clark, E. (2021). Widening the portal: How schools can help more families access and use the parent portal to support student success. Middle School Journal, 52, 14-22. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2020.1840269
Epstein, J. L., MacIver, D. J., MacIver, M. A., & Sheldon, S. B. (2021). Interactive homework to engage parents with students on the transition from middle to high school. Middle School Journal, 52, 4-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2020.1840959
Mac Iver, M.A., Wills, K., Cruz, A., & Mac Iver, D. (Accepted for publication). The impact of nudge letters on improving attendance in an urban district. Education and Urban Society.
Epstein, J. L., MacIver, D. M., MacIver, M. A., & Sheldon, S. B. (Accepted for publication). Interactive homework to engage parents with students on the transition from middle to high school. Middle School Journal.
Mac Iver, M. A., Stein, M., L., Davis, M. H., Balfanz, R., & Fox, J. (2019). An efficacy study of a ninth grade early warning indicator intervention. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 12, 363-390. doi: 10.1080/19345747.2019.1615156
Davis, M. H., Mac Iver, M. A., Balfanz, R., Stein, M., & Fox, J. (2019). Implementation of an early warning indicator and intervention system. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 63, 77-88. doi: 10.1080/1045988X.2018.1506977
Mac Iver, M.A., Mac Iver, D.J., & Clark, E. (2019). Improving college readiness for historically underserved students: The role of the district office. Education and Urban Society, 51, 555-581. doi: 10.1177/0013124517728102.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Mac Iver, D.J. (2019). “STEMming” the swell of absenteeism in the urban middle years: Impacts of an urban district summer robotics program. Urban Education, 45, 65-88. doi: 10.1177/0042085915618712
Mac Iver, M.A., Sheldon, S., Epstein, J., Rice, E., Mac Iver, D. & Simmons, A. (2018). Engaging families in the high school transition: Initial findings from a continuous improvement initiative. School Community Journal, 28, 37-66.
Mac Iver, M.A., Sheldon, S., Naeger, S., & Clark, E. (2017). Mentoring students back on-track to graduation: Program results from five communities. Education and Urban Society, 49(7), 643-675. doi: 10.1177/0013124516645164
Mac Iver, M.A. & Mac Iver, D.J. (In press). “STEMming” the swell of absenteeism in urban middle grades schools: Impacts of a summer robotics program. Urban Education. Published online before print December 16, 2015, DOI: 10.1177/0042085915618712
Mac Iver, M.A., Sheldon, S., Naeger, S., & Clark, E. (In press). Mentoring students back on-track to graduation: Program results from five communities. Education and Urban Society. Published online before print May 4, 2016, doi: 10.1177/0013124516645164
Mac Iver, M.A., Epstein, J., Sheldon, S, & Fonseca, E. (2015). Engaging families to support students’ transition to high school: Evidence from the field. The High School Journal, 99, 27-45.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Messel, M. (2013). The ABCs of keeping on track to graduation: Research findings from Baltimore. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 18, 50-67.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2013). Early warning indicators of high school outcomes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 18, 1-6.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2011). The challenge of improving urban high school graduation outcomes: Findings from a randomized study of dropout prevention efforts. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 16, 167-184. Mac Iver, M.A. (2010). Beginning with the end in mind: The district office leadership role in closing the graduation gap for at-risk students. Educational Considerations, 38, 8-16.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2010). How do we ensure that everyone graduates? An integrated prevention and tiered intervention model for schools and districts. New Directions for Youth Development, 127, 25-35.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2009). Urban middle grades student mathematics achievement growth under comprehensive school reform. Journal of Educational Research, 102, 223-236.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2007). What reform left behind: A decade of change at one urban high school. Education and Urban Society, 40, 3-35.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2006). Which bets paid off? Early findings on the impact of private management and K-8 conversion reforms on the achievement of Philadelphia students. Review of Policy Research 23(5), 1077-1093.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Farley, E. (2005). Preparing urban students for health careers: A longitudinal study of a university-high school partnership. Urban Education 40(2), 190-222.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2004). Systemic supports for comprehensive school reform: The “institutionalization” of Direct Instruction in an urban school system. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 9(3), 303-321.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Legters, N. (2002) Partnerships for career-centered high school reform in an urban school system. Journal of Vocational Education Research 26(3), 412-446.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Kemper, E. (2002). Guest editors’ introduction: Research on Direct Instruction in reading. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 7(2), 107-116.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Kemper, E. (2002). The Impact of Direct Instruction on elementary students’ reading achievement in an urban school district. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 7(2), 197-220.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2000). Seeking justice in educational opportunity: An analysis of the evidence on school vouchers and children placed at risk. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 5(4), 397-412.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Stringfield, S. (2000). Privatized delivery of instructional services for urban public school students placed at risk. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 22(4), 375-382.
Mary McIntosh, Martha Abele Mac Iver, Daniel G. Abele, and David B. Nolle, “Minority Rights and Majority Rule: Ethnic Tolerance in Romania and Bulgaria, “ Social Forces, March 1995.
Mary McIntosh, Martha Abele Mac Iver, Daniel G. Abele, and Dina Smeltz, “Market Democracy in Central and East Europe, 1991-1993,” Slavic Review, Summer 1994.
Mary McIntosh and Martha Abele Mac Iver, “Coping with Freedom and Uncertainty: Public Opinion in Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia, 1989-92,” International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Fall 1992.
Elisabeth Crighton and Martha Abele Mac Iver, “The Evolution of Protracted Ethnic Conflict: Group Dominance and Political Underdevelopment in Northern Ireland and Lebanon,” Comparative Politics, January 1991.
Martha Abele Mac Iver and Emily Bauermeister, “Bridging the Religious Divide: Mobilization for Reconciliation in Northern Ireland,” Review of Religious Research, December 1990.
Martha Abele Mac Iver, “Mirror Images? Conceptions of God and Political Duty on the Left and Right of the Evangelical Spectrum,” Sociological Analysis, Summer 1990.
Martha Abele Mac Iver, “A Clash of Symbols in Northern Ireland: Divisions Between Extremist and Moderate Protestant Elites,” Review of Religious Research, June 1989.
Martha Abele Mac Iver, “Ian Paisley and the Reformed Tradition,” Political Studies, September 1987.
MONOGRAPH AND BOOK CHAPTERS
Mac Iver, M.A. & Balfanz, R. (In press, forthcoming Fall 2021). Continuous improvement in high schools: Helping more students succeed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Sheldon, S. (2019). Keeping families front and center: Leveraging our best ally for ninth grade attendance. In M. Gottfried & E. Hutt (Eds.), Absent from school: Understanding and addressing student absenteeism (pp. 181-197). Boston, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2016). When minimum grading policies backfire: Who decides whether to let students fail? In M. Gottfried & G. Conchas (Eds.), When school policies backfire (pp. 69-84). Harvard Education Press.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Farley-Ripple, E. (2008). Bringing the district back in: The role of the central office in instruction and achievement. Alexandria, VA: Educational Research Service.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2008). Middle school reform. In T. Good (Ed.), 21st century education: A reference handbook (Vol. 2, pp. 309-317). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Mac Iver, D.J., Mac Iver, M.A., Balfanz, R., Plank, S., & Ruby, A. (2000). Talent Development Middle Schools: Blueprint and results for a comprehensive whole-school reform model. In M. Sanders (Ed.), Schooling students placed at risk: Research, policy, and practice in the education of poor and minority adolescents. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Martha Abele Mac Iver, “Religious Politicization Among Western European Mass Publics.” In William H. Swatos, Jr., ed., Religious Politics in Global and Comparative Perspective. New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.
REPORTS, BRIEFS AND PRACTITIONER JOURNAL ARTICLES
Mac Iver, M. A., Epstein, J., & Sheldon, S. (2021, September, in press). Improving schools’ family engagement efforts during the crucial ninth grade year. Phi Delta Kappan.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Simmons, A. (2017). Engaging families during the transition to high school. Principal Leadership, 18 (2), 40-44.
Mac Iver, M.A., Mac Iver, D.J., & Clark, E. (2015). Building a college readiness indicator system: Progress in the Dallas Independent School District. Baltimore, MD: The Johsn Hopkins University School of Education Everyone Graduates Center.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2015). The Baltimore City Schools middle school STEM summer program with VEX robotics. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Education Research Consortium.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2014). If we build it we will come: Impacts of a summer robotics program on regular year attendance in middle school. Policy Brief. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Education Research Consortium.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Messel, M. (2012). Predicting high school outcomes in the Baltimore City Schools. Washington, DC: Council of the Great City Schools.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2011). Moving forward to increase graduation rates in Baltimore City. Policy Brief. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Education Research Consortium.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Groginsky, S. (2011, February). Building a statewide collaborative effort to increase high school graduation rates. Phi Delta Kappan, 16-20.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2010). Gradual disengagement: A portrait of the 2008-09 dropouts in the Baltimore City Schools. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Education Research Consortium.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2010). Keeping on track in ninth grade and beyond: Baltimore’s ninth graders in 2007-08. Baltimore, MD: Baltimore Education Research Consortium.
Mac Iver, M.A., Balfanz, R., & Byrnes, V. (2009). Advancing the “Colorado Graduates” agenda: Understanding the dropout problem and mobilizing to meet the graduation challenge. Denver, CO: Colorado Children’s Campaign.
Bennett, L.J., & Mac Iver, M.A. (2009). “Girls tend to stop going; boys get told not to come back:” A report on gender and the dropout problem in Colorado schools. Denver, CO: Colorado Children’s Campaign.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2009). Beyond the indicators: An integrated approach to dropout prevention. White paper commissioned by the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, Arlington, VA.
Mac Iver, M.A., Plank, S.B., Durham, R., Farley-Ripple, E., & Balfanz, R. (2008). The challenge of on-time arrival: The seven-year flight paths of Baltimore’s sixth graders of 1999-2000. Research Report. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Farley-Ripple, E. (2007). The Baltimore KIPP Ujima Village Academy, 2002-2006: A longitudinal analysis of student outcomes. Baltimore, MD: The Abell Foundation.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Mac Iver, D.J. (2007). Privatizing education in Philadelphia: Are educational management organizations improving student achievement? Working Paper 141. National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Vaughn, E.S. (2007). But how long will they stay? Alternative certification and new teacher retention in an urban district. ERS Spectrum, 25, 33-43.
Mac Iver, M.A., Vaughn, E.S., & Katz, G. (2006). Little things count: Principal and new teacher feedback about district support in the hiring process. ERS Spectrum, 24, 38-45.
Mac Iver, M.A., Vaughn, E.S., & Katz, G. (2005). A teacher for every classroom: New teachers in the Baltimore City Public Schools, 1999-2004. Baltimore, MD: The Abell Foundation.
Mac Iver, M.A., & Farley, E. (2003). Bringing the district back in: The role of the central office in improving instruction and student achievement. CRESPAR Report #65. Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC: Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk.
Mac Iver, M.A., Kemper, E., & Stringfield, S. (2003). The Baltimore Curriculum Project: Final report of a four-year evaluation study. CRESPAR Report #62. Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC: Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk.
Mac Iver, M.A., Stringfield, S., & McHugh, B. (2000). Core Knowledge curriculum: Five-year analysis of implementation and effects in five Maryland schools. CRESPAR Report #50. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk.
Borman, G.D., Rachuba, L., Datnow, A., Alberg, M., Mac Iver, M., Stringfield, S., & Ross, S. (2000). Four models of school improvement: Successes and challenges in reforming low-performing, high-poverty Title I schools. CRESPAR Report #48. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University, Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk.
BOOK REVIEWS
Mac Iver, M.A. (2003). Review of Privatizing Education: Can the Marketplace Deliver Choice, Efficiency, Equity, and Social Cohesion? Edited by Henry M. Levin, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2001. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 8(2).
MAJOR GRANTS
Co-Investigator on “A Regression Discontinuity Study of the Impact of ALFA Lab on 9th Graders’ Reading Achievement, Motivation, and Frequency of Reading. Institute for Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education. September 2018 – August 2022. $3.3 million.
Principal Investigator on “Continuous Improvement in Ninth Grade Student Outcomes through Engaging Families to Support Students in the Transition from Middle to High School.” Institute for Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education. July 2015 – June 2019. $2.5 million.
Principal Investigator on “Equipping High School Teachers to Increase Student Motivation and Course Passing Rates.” Institute for Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education. July 2015 – June 2019. $1.5 million.
Principal Investigator on Program Evaluation Conducted at the State and School District Level: Current Trends and Perceived Needs, 2013-2014, Dell Foundation, $65,000.
Co-Author and Co-Investigator for “Getting Students to the Finish Line: An Efficacy Study of a Ninth Grade Early Warning Indicator Intervention.” Institute for Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education, PI: Robert Balfanz. July 2012 – June 2016. $3.5 million.
Senior Urban Fellowship research grant from the Council of the Great City Schools to study predictors of graduation outcomes in the Baltimore City Schools. $157,500 over two years.
Co-Investigator on grants from the Donnell-Kay Foundation and Piton Foundation for the study of characteristics and early indicators of a dropout outcome in several Colorado school districts. Approximately $130,000 over one year.
Co-Investigator on National Science Foundation ROLE grant to Johns Hopkins University for study of the achievement effects of a decade of educational reforms in Philadelphia. 2004-2007. $1 million.
Recipient of several small grants from the Abell Foundation (Baltimore, MD) and Baltimore Curriculum Project to study educational reform efforts in the Baltimore City Public Schools.
PROFESSIONAL PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS
Mac Iver, M. A., Byrnes, V., Mac Iver, D. J., & Clark, E. (2021, April). Impact of a continuous improvement-focused family engagement intervention on ninth grade attendance and course passing. AERA Annual Meeting (virtual).
Mac Iver, D. J., Mac Iver, M. A. & Clark, E. (2020, April). Impacts of a student engagement-focused high school teacher professional development series [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Franc Mac Iver, M.A., isco, CA http://tinyurl.com/t6wvxyj (Conference Canceled)
Mac Iver, M. A., Wills, K., Clark, E. & Mac Iver, D. J. (2020, April). Urban parents at the portal: Family use of web-based information on student course grades [Roundtable Session]. AERA Annual Meeting San Francisco, CA http://tinyurl.com/rz443dh (Conference Canceled)
Mac Iver, M.A. (2020, January). Engaging families in the high school transition: Findings from a continuous improvement initiative. Presented at the annual Institute of Education Sciences Principal Investigators Meeting, Washington, DC.
Epstein, J., Mac Iver, D.J., Mac Iver, M.A., & Sheldon, S. (2019, September). Interactive homework to engage parents in the transition to high school. Presented at the biennial conference of the European Research Network about Parents in Education (ERNAPE), Gdansk, Poland.
Mac Iver, M.A., Sheldon, S., & Rice, E. (2019, April). Implementing a continuous improvement approach to family engagement during the high school transition. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, ON.
Mac Iver, M.A, Rice. E., & Sheldon, S. (2019, April). The process of continuous improvement in family engagement: Findings from middle and high schools. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, ON.
Wills, K., Mac Iver, M.A., Cruz, A., & Mac Iver, D. (2019, April). The impact of nudge letters on improving attendance in an urban district. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, ON.
Mac Iver, M.A., Bush, J., & Siegenthaler, M. (2018, December). Engaging families during the transition to high school: A continuous improvement approach. Presented at the Washington Educational Research Association/Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (WERA/OSPI) Annual Conference. Seattle, WA.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Sheldon, S. (2018, April). Keeping families front and center: Leveraging our best ally for ninth grade attendance. Presented at the 19th International Roundtable on School, Family, and Community Partnerships. New York, NY.
Stein, M., L., Mac Iver, M. A., Davis, M. H., Fox, J., & Balfanz, R. (2018, April). An efficacy study of a ninth grade early warning indicator intervention. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Mac Iver, M.A., Simmons, A., Brown, C., & Castaneda-Barajas, F. (2017, June). Engaging families in high school success: Using a continuous improvement approach. Presented at the Institute for Educational Leadership National Family and Community Engagement Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Sheldon, S. & Mac Iver, M.A. (2017, June). Interactive home assignments to engage students and families in the transition to high school. Presented at the Institute for Educational Leadership National Family and Community Engagement Conference, San Francisco, CA.
Mac Iver, M.A., Sheldon, S., Epstein, J., Rice, E., Mac Iver, D.J., Simmons, A., Bindman, S.W., & Ruiz, B. (2017, May). Engaging families in the high school transition: First year findings from a continuous improvement initiative. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.
Mac Iver, M.A., Fakharzadeh, S.E., & Rice, E. (2017, April). Missed opportunities for teacher learning: Structural influences on professional development in an urban school. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.
Davis, M., Mac Iver, M.A., & Fox, J. (2017, April). Implementation of an early warning indicator and intervention system. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2017, March). Engaging families to improve student success during the transition to high school (Poster). Presented at the Carnegie Foundation Summit on Improvement in Education, San Francisco, CA.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2016, April). When minimum grading policies backfire. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
Mac Iver, M.A., Mac Iver, D.J. & Clark, E. (2016, April). The district role in increasing college readiness: College readiness indicator system progress in Dallas. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
Mac Iver, M.A., Sheldon, S., Naeger, S, & Clark, E. (2015, April). Mentoring students back on-track to graduation: Program results from five communities. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Mac Iver, D. J. & Mac Iver, M.A. (2015, April). Increasing middle school engagement: Impacts of a robotics summer school program. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Mac Iver, M.A., Epstein, J., Sheldon, S, & Fonseca, E. (2015, April). Engaging families to support students’ transition to high school: Evidence from the field. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Davis, M., Mac Iver, M., & Stein, M. (2015, April). Effects of an early-warning indicator and intervention system on student engagement. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Balfanz, R., Davis, M., & Mac Iver, M.A. (2015, March). Getting to the finish line: Supporting ninth graders in Alabama schools. Presented at meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Washington, DC.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Davis, M. (2015, March). Getting to the finish line: Implementing an Early Warning Indicator and Intervention System in Alabama schools. Presented at the Northwest REL Conference on “Developing and Implementing Early Warning Systems to Keep All Students on the Graduation Path.”
Mac Iver, M. A. & Mac Iver, D.J. (2014, September). “STEMming” the swell of absenteeism in urban middle grades schools: Impacts of a summer robotics program. Presented at the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Washington, D.C.
Davis, M. H., Mac Iver, M., Stein, M., & Fox, J. (2014, April). Implementing an early warning indicator and intervention system in southern high schools: First year findings. Presented at the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mac Iver, M.A., Sheldon, S., & Naeger, S. (2013, April). Getting middle grades students back on-track to graduation: Preliminary results of a focused mentoring program. Presented at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Mac Iver, D.J. (2013, March). Validating early warning indicators in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Webinar presentation (remote) for Puerto Rico Early Warning System Workshop sponsored by Regional Educational Laboratory – Northeast & Islands. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2012, July). Predicting high school outcomes in the Baltimore City Schools: Findings and reflections on the research partnership. Presentation to the Annual Curriculum and Research Meeting of the Council of the Great City Schools, Las Vegas, NV.
Mac Iver, D.J. & Mac Iver, M.A. (2012, April). Intervening successfully to keep middle grades students on track to graduation: Early findings of the Diplomas Now turnaround model. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Messel, M. (2012, April). Shifting the curve: The impact of a grading policy change in one urban district. Poster presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Messel, M. (2012, April). Predictors of college enrollment among urban ninth grade cohorts. Poster presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC.
Legters, N., Byrnes, V., Messel, M., & Mac Iver, M.A. (2012, March). Variation in student algebra achievement by classroom practice implementation: Results from a randomized trial of two algebra sequences for underprepared freshmen. Presented at the meeting of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Washington, DC.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2011, December). Getting to “Everyone Graduates”: What will it take to close the gap? Presentation for the Maryland State Education Association Minority Leadership Training Program, Columbia, MD.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Messel, M. (2011, April). Identifying the early warning indicators of dropout outcomes in the Baltimore City Public Schools. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Durham, R. (2011, April). Gradual disengagement: Addressing the role of chronic absenteeism in graduation outcomes. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
Mac Iver, D.J., Fradlin, V., Wang, A., & Mac Iver, M.A. (2011, April). Early results of improved student outcomes at Diplomas Now schools. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2010, August). Intervening to Keep Students on the Path to Graduation. Keynote Address at the Michigan State Dropout Prevention Summit, Detroit, MI.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2010, May). Early warning indicators of dropping out in three Colorado districts. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2010, May). Increasing graduation rates in Colorado through data-driven decision making: The researchers’ perspective. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2009, October). Kansas Graduates: What Will It Take to Get to 100%? Keynote Address at the Kansas Dropout Prevention Summit, Wichita, KS.
Mac Iver, D.J. & Mac Iver, M.A. (2009, June). Beyond the indicators: An integrated approach to dropout prevention. Webinar presented for the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, Arlington, VA.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2009, May). Dropouts in the Denver Public Schools. Presentation to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education. Mac Iver, M.A. (2009, April). Improving educational opportunities: A randomized evaluation study of a high school dropout prevention program. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Farley-Ripple, E. (2009, February 21). Data-driven decision making requires more than just achievement data: Measuring and analyzing the factors that influence achievement. Presentation at the 2009 American Association of School Administrators National Conference on Education, San Francisco, CA.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2009, February 13). Dropouts in five Colorado districts: Early warning signals and possibilities for prevention and recovery. Presentation at State Dropout Policy Forum, Denver, CO.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2008, November 6). Building school capacity to implement early warning systems and tiered interventions. Presentation at the Call to Action on High School Completion meeting sponsored by the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation, Scottsbluff, NE.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2008, June 16). Keeping students on a graduation path. Presentation at the Colorado Governor’s P-20 Education Coordination Council meeting, Aurora, CO.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2008, June 7). Keeping early secondary students on a graduation path. Presentation at 2008 IES Summer Institute of the National Conference of State Legislatures, Denver, CO.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Farley-Ripple, E. (2008). The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP): A longitudinal analysis of student outcomes in a Baltimore charter middle school. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York, NY.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Mac Iver, D.J. (2007). The impact of comprehensive school reform with NSF-supported mathematics curricula on urban middle grades student mathematics achievement. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Mac Iver, D.J. (2006). Privatizing education in Philadelphia: Are educational management organizations improving student achievement? Presented at the meeting of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Mac Iver, D.J. & Mac Iver, M.A. (2006). Effects on middle grades mathematics achievement of educational management organizations (EMOs) and new K-8 schools. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
Mac Iver, M.A. and Mac Iver, D.J. (2005). Which bets paid off? Estimating the achievement effects of a decade of educational reform in Philadelphia (preliminary findings). Presented at the meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington, DC.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2004). How urban school systems communicate internal research results to stakeholders: Results of a preliminary study. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
Choi, R. & Mac Iver, M.A. (2003). On faith-based community development “going public”: Case studies from Baltimore. Presented at Bethel College, St. Paul, MN, June 2003.
Mac Iver, M., Farley, E., & Wayman, J. (2003). Let a thousand flowers bloom: High school reform in Baltimore. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, April 2003.
Mac Iver, M.A. (2003). Systemic supports for comprehensive school reform: The “institutionalization” of Direct Instruction in the Baltimore City Public School System. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, April 2003.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Amoa, M. (2002). Partnering for educational progress in the inner city: A high school-university partnership to promote health careers preparation. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, April 2002.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Legters, N. (2001). Partnerships for career-centered educational reform at the high school level: The intersection of multiple school-to-work models in one urban school system. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, April 2001.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Kemper, E. (2001). Reforming from the outside in: Attempting to institutionalize a combination of Direct Instruction and Core Knowledge as a whole-school reform in an urban school district. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Seattle, April 2001.
Mac Iver, M., Kemper, E., & Stringfield, S. (2000). Joining Direct Instruction and Core Knowledge for whole school reform: Implementation and impact of the Baltimore Curriculum Project. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, April 2000.
Mac Iver, M.A. (1999). The politics of privatization in urban school systems: The case of Baltimore. Presented at the meeting of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta, GA, September 1999.
Mac Iver, M.A. (1999). Seeking justice in educational opportunity: An analysis of the evidence on school vouchers and disadvantaged children. Presented at Calvin College, June 1999.
Mac Iver, M., Stringfield, S., Rafferty, E., & Stevenson, Z. (1999). The impact of Sylvan instruction on urban students placed at risk: Evaluation of a privatization experiment. Presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, April 1999.
Mac Iver, M., “The Christian in the Political Arena: Reflections on the Thought of Reinhold Niebuhr,” presented at Furman University, Greenville, S.C., June 1997.
McIntosh, M. & Mac Iver, M.A. “The Structure of Foreign Policy Attitudes in East and West Europe: Does the American Model Apply?,” presented at the annual meetings of the International Studies Association, March 1994.
McIntosh, M., Abele, D. & Mac Iver, M.A. “The Dynamics of Nationalism among East and West European West Publics,” presented at the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 1993.
McIntosh, M. & Mac Iver, M.A. “Building Democracy and Capitalism in Central and East Europe: The Micro-Level Linkages,” presented at the annual meetings of the American Sociological Association, Miami Beach, FL, August 1993.
McIntosh, M., Mac Iver, M., Dobson, R. & Grant, S. “The Meaning of Democracy in a Redefined Europe,” presented at the annual meetings of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, St. Charles, Illinois, May 1993.
McIntosh, M., Mac Iver, M., Abele, D., & Nolle, D. “Minority Rights and Majority Rule: Ethnic Tolerance in Romania and Bulgaria,” presented at the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Chicago, IL, September 1992.
Mac Iver, M.A. “A Christian Rainbow Coalition? Liberation Theology and Marginalized Americans,” presented at the meetings of the Association for the Sociology of Religion, Washington, D.C., August 1990.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Crighton, E. “Testing a Theory of Protracted Conflict,” presented at the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Atlanta, GA, September 1989.
Crighton, E. & Mac Iver, M.A. “A Theory of Protracted Conflict: Comparing Northern Ireland and Lebanon,” presented at the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 1988.
Mac Iver, M.A. “Mirror Images? Conceptions of God and Political Duty on the Left and Right of the Political Spectrum,” presented at the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., September 1988.
Mac Iver, M.A. & Bauermeister, E. “Bridging the Religious Divide: Mobilization for Reconciliation in Northern Ireland,” presented at the International Political Science Association World Congress, Washington, D.C., August 1988.
Mac Iver, M.A. “A Clash of Symbols in Northern Ireland: Moderate and Extremist Protestant Elites,” presented at the Western Political Science Association Convention, Anaheim, March 1987 and at the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion Convention, Louisville, October 1987.
Mac Iver, M.A. “Integrating Faith and Politics in Western Europe: The Influence of Religious Convictions on Political Attitudes,” presented at the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington D.C., September, 1986.
Mac Iver, M.A. “Bridging the Religious Divide in Northern Ireland,” an invited address in the “Religions at War” lecture series at Mira Costa College, March, 1986.
Mac Iver, M.A. “Militant Protestantism in Northern Ireland: Ian Paisley and the Apocalyptic Tradition,” presented at the Western Conference on British Studies, San Antonio, TX, 1985.
Mac Iver, M.A. “Ian Paisley and the Reformed Tradition,” presented at the American Political Science Association Convention, Washington, D.C., 1984.
OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY
Associate Editor, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 2002 to present.
Member of Review Panel for Institute for Education Sciences (IES) Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships competitions, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017.
Reviewer for American Educational Research Review, Journal of Research on Adolescence, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Education Policy Analysis Archives, Transformation, Educational Policy, High School Journal, Urban Education, and National Research Center for Career and Technical Education.
Year 2008 Program Section Chair for American Educational Research Association Division H.
Year 2004 Publications Competition Chairperson for American Educational Research Association Division H.
Discussant for panel on “Political Theory and the Bible” at the conference of Christians in Political Science, Furman University, Greenville, S.C., June 1997.
Discussant for panel on “Contemporary Religion and Political Inquiry,” American Political Science Association Convention, Atlanta, August 1989.
Discussant for panel on “The Northern Ireland Problem,” Western Political Science Association Convention, San Francisco, March 1988.
Participant in Roundtable Panel on “The 1984 Election in Comparative Perspective,” American Political Science Association Convention, New Orleans, August 1985.
HONORS AND AWARDS
American Political Science Association Research Grant, 1986‑87.
Haynes Foundation Summer Fellowship, 1986.
Rackham Pre‑Doctoral Fellowship, University of Michigan, 1983‑84.
Rackham Dissertation Grant, University of Michigan, 1982.
H. B. Earhart Fellowship, University of Michigan, 1980‑81.
First‑Year Fellowship, University of Michigan, 1978‑79.