Lizanne DeStefano is Professor of Educational Psychology, Associate Dean for Research, and Director of the Bureau of Educational Research at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, trained and practiced as a clinical and school psychologist, and is a former special education teacher. Currently, Dr. DeStefano's research interests include the evaluation and sustainability of innovative programs, multi-site initiatives, and programs serving special populations such as students with disabilities or those at risk for academic failure. She is a Stafford Faculty Fellow at the Institute on Leadership, Disability, and Students Placed at Risk at the University of Vermont. Her work has been funded by numerous agencies and foundations, including the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the National Academy of Education, the Joyce Foundation, the Lilly Foundation, Chicago Community Trust and Illinois State Board of Education. She has conducted many large-scale evaluations of programs serving children and youth, including evaluations of the implementation of IDEA, Illinois Learning Standards and early literacy professional development initiatives such as the Reading Excellence Act in Illinois and the Reading First Evaluation. She is now engaged in research to develop new methods for evaluating the educational components of NSF-funded science, technology, engineering and mathematics research programs.