Jia Wang

Adjunct Professor; Assistant Director for Program Evaluation at CRESST

Dr. Jia Wang is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Education and Assistant Director for Program Evaluation at CRESST, UCLA. Her work focuses on applied educational measurement including designing and managing research studies to evaluate the effectiveness of multisite intervention programs; investigating how school, teacher, and student factors affect student achievement; and developing, validating, and evaluating assessment systems. Her scholarly interests center on real-world implementation challenges to education reform in the interrelated areas of school choice, teacher training and support, student access, and assessment quality.

Currently, she serves as the principal investigator for nine evaluation projects on magnet schools in three states through the Magnet Schools Assistance Program, and for three in-service teacher professional development programs. One of the teacher training programs is funded as an Education Innovation and Research (EIR) mid-phase grant and the other two are funded by the American History and Civics Education National Activities Program.

Dr. Wang publishes in professional journals and has authored numerous technical reports and book chapters. Additionally, Dr. Wang teaches graduate research and statistics courses at UCLA, including Linear Statistical Models, Survey Research, and Experimental Design. Dr. Wang received her Ph.D. from UCLA with a specialization in Social Research Methodology. Prior to her current position at UCLA, Dr. Wang was vice president of research at a nonprofit educational consulting firm, assistant director for the UCLA’s Global Center for Health and Education, and a statistics consultant for the World Bank and the World Health Organization.

Expertise

Research Centers

Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, & Student Testing (CRESST)

Titles and Positions

Adjunct Professor
Assistant Director for Program Evaluation at CRESST

Education

Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles. Education: Research Methodology

Select Publications

Wang, J., Leon, S., Sylvester, R. M., & Gopalakrishnan, A. (2025). Remote Vs. Hybrid Learning Effects on Student Mathematics Achievement in Three Magnet Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic Years. Journal of School Choice, 1–16.
Wang, J., Herman, J., Haubner, J. (2023). Exploring the variation in magnet school success across 24 magnet schools. Magnet Schools: Public Schools of Choice in a Changing Education Landscape.
Wang, J., Straubhaar, R., & Ong, C. (2020). Teacher and Administrator Experiences with Teacher Recruitment, Retention, and Support in a California Charter-Led Turnaround School. Inquiry in Education, 11: 2, Article 22.
Harju‐Luukkainen, H., Vettenranta, J., Wang, J., & Garvis, S. (2020). Family related variables effect on later educational outcome: a further geospatial analysis on TIMSS 2015 Finland. Large-scale Assess Educ, 8:3,
Harju-Luukkainen, H., Wang, J., La Torre, D. (2018). Using content analysis to compare a U.S. urban teacher residency to a Finnish teacher education program. The Urban Review.
Wang, J., Herman, J., & Dockterman, D. (2018). A research synthesis of magnet school effect on student outcomes: Beyond descriptive studies. Journal of School Choice.
Wang, J. & Herman, J. (2017). Magnet schools: History, description, and effects. In R. Fox & N. Buchanan (Eds.), Handbook of school choice (pp. 158-179). New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons.
Wang, J., Schweig, J., & Herman, J. (2017). Is there a magnet school effect? A multisite study of MSAP-funded magnet schools. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 22(2), 1–23.
Frankenberg, E., Siegel-Hawley, G., & Wang, J. (2010). Choice without equity: Charter school segregation. Education policy analysis archives, 19(1), 1-96. Los Angeles, CA: The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA.
Goldschmidt, P. & Wang, J. (1999). When can schools affect dropout behavior: A longitudinal multilevel analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 36(4), 715-738.
Wang, J. (1998). Opportunity to learn: The impacts and policy implications. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 20(3), 137-156.