Surfacing insights. Shaping change.
Sharing impact.
Organizations partner with Cynosure to gain deeper insight, generate actionable evidence, and amplify their impacts. From emerging ideas to established initiatives, we help organizations navigate complexity, make informed decisions, and move important work forward.
ABOUT US
We partner with institutions, educators, and innovators to turn evidence into meaningful, sustainable practice.
Cynosure Consulting partners with organizations across K-12, higher education, and graduate STEM education to support the design, implementation, and study of learning experiences that strengthen STEM participation, persistence, and workforce pathways. Our work draws from cognitive science, STEM education research, implementation science, and design-based inquiry to help organizations translate research and innovation into meaningful educational practice.
20+
Years of Research
40+
Institutions Served
25+
Publications
6
Federal Grants
Adrienne A. Smith, Ph.D.
President
Dr. Adrienne Smith is an educational researcher and evaluator with expertise in program evaluation, implementation research, measurement, and assessment. She earned her Ph.D. in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration in Educational Psychology, Measurement, and Evaluation. Throughout her career, Dr. Smith has led and supported research and evaluation initiatives across K–12, higher education, and workforce development contexts. Her work focuses on understanding how educational innovations are implemented, measuring their effectiveness, and generating actionable evidence to support continuous improvement and decision-making. Dr. Smith has contributed to large-scale national studies and has collaborated with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and federally funded initiatives to examine program implementation, participant experiences, and organizational change. More recently, her work has expanded to support projects focused on artificial intelligence literacy, data science education, workforce preparation, faculty development, and emerging educational technologies.
The organization has experience supporting initiatives situated across computer science, cybersecurity, data science, mathematics, engineering, geosciences, and AI-integrated STEM education. Cynosure collaborates with institutions, researchers, educators, and funders to support evidence-building, implementation strategy, impact storytelling, and long-term improvement efforts connected to STEM learning and workforce development.
Rebecca A. Zulli, Ph.D.
Senior Partner
Dr. Rebecca Zulli is an educational researcher and evaluator with extensive experience designing and leading research, evaluation, and continuous improvement efforts across education and workforce development initiatives. She earned her doctorate in Educational Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For the last 25 years, Dr. Zulli has worked with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, state agencies, and federally funded projects to examine program effectiveness, support strategic decision-making, and document outcomes. Her expertise spans both quantitative and qualitative and design-based research methods. Dr. Zulli's work increasingly focuses on the intersection of program evaluation, implementation science, and educational innovation. She has led evaluation efforts for initiatives involving STEM education, workforce preparation, artificial intelligence literacy, data science education, faculty development, and institutional transformation.
Core Expertise
Our Areas of Specialized Expertise
Cognitive Science & Learning
Understanding the cognitive processes that support learning, including reasoning, problem solving, critical thinking, metacognition, transfer, motivation, and persistence.
Inferential Analysis
Applying advanced statistical methods, such as hierarchical linear modeling, in experimental and quasi-experimental designs to build evidence bases and extract actionable insights from data.
Research Translation
Applying translational research approaches to bridge research, practice, and implementation - strengthening the use of evidence to inform educational innovation and improvement.
Social Network Analysis & Asset Mapping
Illuminating patterns of collaboration, connectivity, and influence to understand collective capacity and track changes in network structure over time.
Implementation & Improvement Science
Leveraging implementation and improvement science approaches to strengthen the adoption, adaptation, sustainability, and effectiveness of innovations across educational settings.
Design-Based Research Methodologies
Supporting the design, refinement, and continuous improvement of innovations through collaborative, practice-centered research approaches.
Current research directions
Our active research portfolio addresses the most pressing questions at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human learning.
Combating Cognitive Offloading
Collaborating with STEM faculty to develop and refine evidence-based best practice approaches for advancing critical thinking, problem-solving, and metacognition amid increasing AI-driven cognitive offloading.
Elementary Mathematical Reasoning
Studying instructional approaches and learning environments that strengthen elementary students’ mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving skills, with attention to how real world problem contexts and cognitively grounded instructional practices enhance conceptual learning.
AI Literacy Curriculum Development
Designing and testing curricula that build foundational AI literacy among K–12 students and educators, including understanding of machine learning concepts, data ethics, and critical evaluation of AI-generated content.
Translational Research on Data Science Pathways
Supporting the design and study of innovative data science exposure pathways for non-computing majors, including interdisciplinary models that connect STEM learning, workforce preparation, and applied data literacy across undergraduate education contexts.
Community STEM Workforce Pathway Development
Using asset mapping, developmental evaluation, and collaborative research approaches to strengthen regional STEM workforce pathway initiatives and support inclusive participation across schools, higher education institutions, community organizations, and workforce ecosystem partners.
Evaluation Foci
Cynosure brings diverse and extensive experience serving as external evaluators for government and foundation grants. We also partner as evaluation thought partners and strategists for philanthropic program officers, and design and lead evaluation capacity-building workshops for many audiences—from nonprofit staff to evaluation practitioners and funders.
Program Monitoring &
Continuous Improvement
Designing evaluation approaches that help partners understand how STEM education initiatives are being implemented, where adjustments are needed, and how programs can improve over time without losing sight of local context.
Impact and Outcome Assessment
Supporting partners in identifying, measuring, and interpreting outcomes connected to their interventions including institutional transformation, pedagogical change, learning, engagement, persistence, reasoning, problem solving, career awareness, and community building.
Developmental Evaluation Support for Emerging Initiatives
Using developmental evaluation approaches to support early-stage or evolving initiatives through real-time learning and feedback loops. This provides the adaptive decision-making needed for partners to refine strategy and implementation within complex, evolving STEM and workforce contexts.
Impact Storytelling & Evidence Translation
Helping organizations translate evaluation findings into clear, credible narratives that communicate implementation progress, participant experiences, emerging outcomes, and implications for continued investment and practice.
"We recognize that meaningful change takes many forms and unfolds differently across organizations, initiatives, and communities. Our role is to meet partners where they are- contributing our expertise in ways that strengthen their work and illuminate its impact."
Cynosure Consulting
Research • Learning • Implementation
Burroughs Wellcome Fund • University of North Georgia • Wake County Public Schools • East Carolina University Water Resources Center • The University of Alabama • Ramapo College of New Jersey • Meredith College • Jacksonville State University • Fayetteville State University • North Florida STEM SEALS • Burroughs Wellcome Fund • University of North Georgia • Wake County Public Schools • East Carolina University Water Resources Center • The University of Alabama • Ramapo College of New Jersey • Meredith College • Jacksonville State University • Fayetteville State University • North Florida STEM SEALS