Dr. Liang's expertise in applied data research and evaluation has been instrumental in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of data submitted by local education agencies.
SACRAMENTO, CA, January 07, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Jian-Hua "Jane" Liang, EdD, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Dr. Liang, an esteemed education administrator with the California Department of Education, has dedicated over 40 years to advancing educational practices and policies. Since 2021, her role has involved collaborating with information technology teams to develop new data collection systems and improve existing systems, preparing comprehensive reports to inform stakeholders about educational outcomes and overseeing data collection and analysis for program improvement. Her leadership extends to managing educational program evaluation contracts and ensuring compliance with state legislation regarding data systems. Dr. Liang's expertise in applied data research and evaluation has been instrumental in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of data submitted by local education agencies.
Before being named an administrator, Dr. Liang served as a research data manager from 2020 to 2021, where she was instrumental in modernizing the California's Child Development Management Information System (CDMIS) and improving data submission processes. Between 2015 and 2020, she was an education programs consultant, collaborating with local educational agencies to facilitate school improvement initiatives. Her work included developing scopes of work, requests for applications (for districts and county offices of education to apply for state and federal grants), and legislative reports that significantly impacted student performance and accountability across California schools. Dr. Liang served as a mathematics consultant overseeing the California statewide assessment development, administration, and reporting in mathematics from 2005 to 2015. Since working for the department, Dr. Liang has contributed substantially to several initiatives, including being at the forefront of working with the test developer (ETS), California teachers, and stakeholders to ensure the assessment to be fair and accessible to all students, including Englisher learners and students with disabilities. She is very proud of her work, in collaboration with WestEd Equity Center and California State Equity Leads, overseeing the California Equity Performance and Improvement grant program. Another legacy of her work is under her leadership, the department built and rolled out the California Preschool Data Collection (CAPSDAC) system in July 2024, bringing early education data system to align to the K−12 system.
Dr. Liang is also a research practitioner. Her research interests include longitudinal study of student achievement in mathematics, large scale assessments, and education program evaluation. Her publications, exemplified by "What do the California standards test results reveal about the movement toward eighth-grade algebra for all?" is widely cited in the education research community.
Among other noteworthy roles, Dr. Liang has drawn tremendous satisfaction in the classroom. She was a lecturer at the University of California Davis in 2013, teaching quantitative methods in educational research and experimental design. Previously, she was a computer teacher and academic coordinator at Elk Grove Unified School District from 1993 to 2000 and between 2000 and 2005, respectively. She served as a summer school principal from 2000 to 2003 at James McKee Elementary School, and a vice principal at Florin High School in 2004, Moreover, Dr. Liang taught mathematics at Sacramento City Unified School District from 1989 to 1993, San Francisco State University in 1987 and 1988, and San Francisco Unified School District in 1986. Before moving to the U.S., Dr. Liang was an assistant professor at Shanghai University from 1982 to 1986 in China.
Highly educated, Dr. Liang holds a Bachelor of Science in optical engineering from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology since 1982, a Master of Science in computer science and a Master of Arts in secondary education from San Francisco State University since 1993 and 1996, respectively, and a Doctor of Education in educational leadership from the University of California, Davis since 2009. She also holds a single subject teaching credential in mathematics since 1989 and an administrative services credential from California Commission on Teacher Credentialing since 2000.
Dr. Liang is actively involved in several professional organizations. She is a member of American Education Research Association (AERA), a board member of the California Education Research Association (2021−25), a member on the editorial board for the Journal of Education and Training Studies, in addition to serving as a reviewer for numerous academic journals and annual conferences of AERA.
Meanwhile, Dr. Liang has also served on various community organizations. She is a past president and founding secretary of the Elk Grove Chinese Association, a founding secretary of the Sacramento Chinese New Year Cultural Association, and the president of the Elk Grove Chinese Association Foundation Scholarship since 2006.
In light of her contributions, Dr. Liang has been recognized with numerous awards, such as The California Department of Education Appreciation Certificates from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction between 2015 and 2020 and an Outstanding New Administrator Award from The School Board of Elk Grove Unified School District in 2020. Besides her distinguished career, she is currently writing a college textbook, "Master Testing: A Practitioners Guide to Educational Measurement," to pass her knowledge in assessment to educators and teachers in training.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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