Sarah A. Deal, Ph.D.
Director of Research
Bio
Sarah A. Deal, Ph.D. is the Director of Research at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. In this role, she provides vision and leadership for the research, evaluation, and survey functions in the Belk Center. Working alongside the team, she works to develop research that supports North Carolina community college students, faculty and staff. Sarah also serves as the primary research liaison to the Belk Center’s many partner organizations, as well as other statewide and national collaborative partners. Sarah served as a Belk Center Research Affiliate from 2019-2024, where she focused on projects related to her dissertation. Since 2009, she has worked within a diverse cross-section of postsecondary institutions, including roles at the UNC-Chapel Hill, Central Carolina Community College, and the North Carolina Community College System. Most recently, she served as Managing Director with DVP-PRAXIS LTD. Sarah earned her bachelor’s degree from SUNY at Buffalo, her master’s degree from Ohio State University, and her Ph.D. in Educational Policy Leadership and Human Development from NC State University.
Publications
- Data-Informed Community College Teaching and Learning Hubs in North Carolina , A Toolkit for Mid-Career Academics (2024)
- Addressing food insecurity on campus: An implementation guide for Arkansas community colleges , (2023)
- Addressing food insecurity on campus: Connecting students with sustained basic needs supports to improve academic outcomes , (2023)
- Assessing the Role of Spatial Inequality in Transfer Student Success , Community College Review (2023)
- Evidence of Scale for a Statewide Teaching and Learning Model , (2023)
- How Career Coaches Employed by Community Colleges Shape Students’ Postsecondary and Professional Pathways in North Carolina Public High Schools , Community College Journal of Research and Practice (2023)
- Promising Evidence on Professional Learning in North Carolina: Early Findings from Teaching and Learning Hubs , (2023)
- The Reach of the North Carolina Teaching and Learning Hubs: An Inaugural Year Report , (2023)
- Creating seamless pathways for military service members: A Scaling Guide , (2022)
- Serving Native Students with Holistic Student Supports: How Tribal Colleges and Universities Embed a Community Feeling into Academic Culture , (2022)
Groups
News
- External Levers to Maximize Career Coaches’ Impact on North Carolina High School Students, August 2022
- Supporting the College and Career Transition from High School to Beyond During Times of Uncertainty: Viewpoints from College and Career Access Programs, June 2021
- The Effect of the Career and Technical Education Pathway on Community College Attainment: An Instrumental Variables Approach, May 2021
- The Relationship Between Participation in Career and College Promise and Community College Attainment, December 2020
- College and Career Promise Leading to Transfer Outcomes: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis, December 2020
- The Relationship Between Participation in Career and College Promise and Community College Attainment, November 2020
- How Can We Work Together? Findings and Recommendations for Improving Communication Strategies for College and Career Access Service Providers, December 2022
- Who Does What? Findings and Recommendations for Clarifying Roles for Overlapping College and Career Service Providers, December 2022
- How Do We Get the Word Out? Findings and Recommendations for Improving Student Engagement for College and Career Service Providers, December 2022
- The Reach of the North Carolina Teaching & Learning Hubs: An Inaugural Year Report, January 2023
- Promising Evidence on Professional Learning in North Carolina, October 2023
- Evidence of Scale for a Statewide Teaching and Learning Model, January 2024