Report
U.S. Air Force Enlisted Classification and Reclassification: Potential Improvements Using Machine Learning and Optimization Models
Mar 14, 2022
Louis T. Mariano
Senior Statistician
Washington Office
Education
Ph.D. in statistics, Carnegie Mellon University; M.S. in statistics, Carnegie Mellon University; B.S. in mathematics and statistics, American University
Overview
Lou Mariano is a senior statistician at the RAND Corporation. His current research includes topics in education, military manpower, and healthcare.
Mariano's education research has focused on evaluations of the implementation and efficacy of school reform efforts; furthering the methodology and application of experimental and quasi-experimental designs; refining methods for estimating teacher contributions to student learning; and the expansion of item response theory models, with emphasis on the reduction of measurement error. His current military manpower research includes investigation of factors impacting the dynamics of career path selection, promotion, retention, and diversity of Air Force personnel.
Mariano holds a Ph.D. in statistics from Carnegie Mellon University.
Research Focus
Recent Projects
- Evaluation of the 4-Day School Week
- Using Student Achievement Data to Monitor Progress and Performance: Methodological Challenges Presented by COVID-19
- Data-Enabled Talent Management through Targeted Benchmarks, Best Practices, and Partnerships
- Evaluation of the Long‐Term Effects of Retention under New York City's Student Promotion Policy
- Post-operative Nudges to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (POST-OP)
Selected Publications
Kilburn, M.R., Philips, A., Gomez, C.J., Mariano, L.T., Doss, C.J., Troxel, W.M., Morton, E., and Estes, K., Does Four Equal Five? Implementation and Outcomes of the Four-Day School Week, RAND (RR-A373-1), 2021
Schweig, J., McEachin, A., Kuhfeld, M., Mariano, L.T., and Diliberti, M.K. , Adapting Course Placement Processes in Response to COVID-19 Disruptions: Guidance for Schools and Districts, RAND (RR-A1037-1), 2021
Mariano, L.T. and Martorell, P. , "The Causal Effects of Grade Retention on Behavioral Outcomes," Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness , 11(2), 2018
Mariano, L.T. and Elliott, M.N., "An Item Response Theory Approach to Estimating Survey Mode Effects: Analysis of Data from a Randomized Mode Experiment," Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, 5(2), 2017
Lim, N., Mariano, L.T., Cox, A., Schulker, D., and Hanser, L., Improving Diversity in the U.S. Air Force Officer Corps, RAND (RR-495-AF), 2014
Mariano, Louis T. and Martorell, Paco, "The Academic Effects of Summer Instruction and Retention in New York City," Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 35, 2013
Mariano, L.T., McCaffrey, D.F., and Lockwood, J.R., "A Model For Teacher Effects From Longitudinal Data Without Assuming Vertical Scaling," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 35, 2010
Mariano, L.T. and Junker, B.W., "Covariates of the Rating Process in Hierarchical Models for Multiple Ratings of Test Items," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, 32(3), 2007
Honors & Awards
- Fellow, American Statistical Association
- Leonard J. Savage Award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in the Application Methodology of Bayesian Statistics, The International Society for Bayesian Analysis & the American Statistical Association Section on Bayesian Statistical Science
- Outstanding Reviewer, Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics (2005, 2009, 2013 and 2014), American Educational Research Association
