Who We Are

Mike is the director of consulting and technical assistance at Marzano Research, where he has the privilege of helping educators make positive, systemic changes that improve learning and increase opportunity for each student. Mike leads Marzano Research teams in technical assistance projects that help education leaders access and apply the best research to improve systems, practices, and student outcomes. His leadership focuses teams on the priority of making education research practical. Mike has 20 years of experience in K–12 education as a teacher, principal, school improvement coordinator, and technical assistance leader. He has led system improvement efforts for schools, districts, and states, both nationally and internationally. To his role in fulfilling the mission of Marzano Research, he brings a passion for research and evidence use, practical experience from working across the education system, and a zeal for connecting with people. Mike has a bachelor’s degree in elementary and middle school education from Northwestern College and a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Sioux Falls.

Bi is an experienced education policy professional who is committed to a practical approach to building evidence and improving outcomes and opportunities for students. She is the author of “Strategic Budgeting: Using Evidence to Mitigate the ‘COVID Slide’ and Move Toward Improvement” (2020), a contributor to Opportunity and Performance: Equity for Children from Poverty (2021), and one of the leaders featured in Taking Charge of Change (2021) by Paul Shoemaker. Before joining Project Evident, Bi was the Director of Proving Ground at the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University where she worked with states and districts across the country to implement a continuous improvement framework built on meaningful, measurable outcomes. She also launched the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks, bringing evidence-building capacity to districts in rural NY and OH. Prior to Proving Ground, Bi served as the Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the School District of Philadelphia; she has also held positions at the Data Quality Campaign and EducationCounsel, LLC. Bi currently serves on the board of the Academic Development Institute. A graduate of Kenyon College, Bi also holds an MPA from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.