Novak is a research associate in MDRC’s Postsecondary Education policy area. She works directly with college staff, faculty, and students to support the implementation and evaluation of student success programs and developmental education reform work. Novak is the implementation research lead and project manager for the Coreq Assess, Texas Multiple Measures Assessment Randomized Controlled Trial and Promising Practices for Supporting Part-time Community College Students projects. She also serves as the MDRC liaison for the Strong Start to Finish Network. Before joining MDRC, Novak was an educator in Dallas, Texas, and Macuelizo, Honduras, where she supported students’ bilingual literacy skills. Novak holds a master’s degree in international educational development from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Lewis & Clark College.
