Cecilia Teal

Cecilia Teal is Director of Research Programs at EurekaFacts. Cecilia is an expert in qualitative research with content expertise in education, social work, especially in the areas of child welfare, juvenile justice, substance abuse, and mental health. Cecilia has extensive experience directing and conducting qualitative research projects, moderating focus groups, cognitive interviews, in-depth, forensic and assessment interviews with children, youth, families, educators and a diverse set of audiences. Her early research specialization and expertise centered on adult learning, specifically focusing on the training and professional development of frontline child welfare workers and their supervisors.

Cecilia manages multiple national and local projects from large scale data collection to in-depth qualitative focus groups addressing primary and secondary education, criminal justice, public health and mental health. She formulates research and recruitment plans, develops interview and focus group protocols, synthesizes and analyzes data into key facts and detailed findings, writes reports, and prepares presentations.

Cecilia performs cognitive and usability testing of computer and tablet-based assessments for students in various grade levels for the Educational Testing Service (ETS) for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and facilitates focus groups and usability interviews for Research Triangle Institute (RTI), International for the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20) and the Baccalaureate and Beyond Studies (B&B:20).

Cecilia has completed graduate-level courses in qualitative and quantitative research methodology and has more than 10 years of experience analyzing and synthesizing data. Cecilia earned a Masters in Social Work degree from the University of Hawaii, a Master of Science degree in Educational Psychology with a focus on Adult Education from the University of Tennessee, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Frostburg State University.