Lori McElroy, Ph.D.

Dr. Lori McElroy is the Senior Scientist leading CanEd’s evaluation practice and providing expertise in research design and analysis. Dr. McElroy holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology from the University of Toronto, and a minor specialization in statistics.

Dr. McElroy has over 25 years of research experience, including expertise in all aspects of performance measurement, program evaluation, social and survey research, employee satisfaction surveys, and needs assessments. Dr. McElroy is proficient in designing and delivering customized research projects and in the analysis and interpretation of both quantitative and qualitative data. Dr. McElroy has a special interest in the study of student aid and student retention.

Dr. McElroy was the Manager in the Research and Accountability Division of the BC Centre for Education Information, from September 2001, until its closure in March 2004. She was responsible for overall management of the Education and Labour Market Research section, including establishing the program evaluation practice, and directing research. Dr. McElroy has directed a variety of research projects for the BC public sector and federal departments and agencies, including evaluating the effectiveness of education and employment programs and research on various education issues pertaining to the K-12 and post-secondary sectors.

Prior to joining the Centre for Education Information, Dr. McElroy was the Principal of L. McElroy & Associates, specializing in program evaluation, policy analysis and social research. Consulting engagements covered a range of areas including economic development, natural resources, health and social equity issues, but the main focus was on education, training, and employment.

Before becoming a consultant, Dr. McElroy was a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, where she conducted both basic and applied research and taught undergraduate and graduate course in research methods, statistics, cognitive and social psychology, and gender issues. Dr. McElroy has conducted and published both pure experimental research, and applied research on education issues.

Dr. McElroy was the lead researcher and author for a study on the factors that influence how high school graduates make decisions about whether and when to pursue PSE. The report, In Pursuit of Postsecondary Education: Whether and When to Go On, which can be found here http://www.millenniumscholarships.ca/images/Publications/081125_IPPSE_EN.pdf

One of Dr. McElroy’s areas of focus is the study of the impact of student financial assistance especially on persistence. Relevant publications include:

• Examination of the Impact of the Provincial Needs Assessment Process for Student Financial Assistance (2009)
• Student Aid and University Persistence: Does Debt Matter? (2005)
• The Millennium Bursary in New Brunswick: Impact on Debt and Persistence (2008)
• The Millennium Bursary in Manitoba: Exploring its Impact (2005)
• The Millennium Bursary in British Columbia: Exploring its Impact (2004)