Faculty Directory
Emily Gates
Associate Professor
Emily Gates
Ph.D.
Contact
Campion Hall Room 336D
Telephone: 617-552-8584
Email: emily.gates@bc.edu
Education
- Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Ed.M., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- B.A., New College of Florida
Courses
Evaluation Practice and Methods
Readings and Research in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
Readings and Research in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment
Evaluation Theory and Research
Mixed Methods Research: Issues in Theory and Practice
Advanced Topics in Evaluation
Research Interests
Research on evaluation; systems thinking and approaches; values and evaluative criteria; equity in evaluation
Expertise
- Equity and Social Justice
- Research Methods, Evaluation & Psychometrics
Department
Profile
Emily Gates is an evaluator, educator, and systems thinker who loves digging into the messy, meaningful work of social change. She helps people and organizations learn, adapt, and make a difference鈥攅specially when the change they're aiming for is big, complex, and rooted in values.
Her work bridges theory and practice, with a focus on how evaluation can better reflect the realities of large-scale systems change. She鈥檚 co-authored two books鈥� and 鈥攁nd co-edited a spotlighting real-world evaluations that embrace complexity. Her 30+ publications, including journal articles and book chapters, often grow out of collaborations with practitioners and students.
Gates received the American Evaluation Association鈥檚 Early Career Award in 2023 and has over a decade of experience with mixed-method evaluations in K鈥�12 schools, universities, STEM education, and public health. A former teacher and CDC fellow, she now teaches graduate courses in evaluation and research methods at md传媒国产剧 College and regularly gives talks and workshops around the world.
She calls md传媒国产剧 home, where she enjoys life with her partner, their curious baby, loyal dog, and seasonal garden.
Select Publications
Gates, E.F., Vidueira, P., Komakhidze, M., Aldrich, C., & Shim, C. (2025) A critical, integrative review on evaluating systems change and transformation, part one: 2011-2021. Evaluation: International Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice.听
Gates, E.F. & Li, R. (2025). Equity-related ethical questions in evaluation practice: Examples from interviews with evaluators in New England, U.S. American Journal of Evaluation. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214024128879
Dart, J., & Gates, E. (2024). Incorporating futures thinking into the theory of change: Case and lessons learned from a social enterprise intermediary in Australia. New Directions for Evaluation, (182), 45鈥�62. https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.20601
Gates, E.F., Teasdale, R., Shim, C., & Hubacz, H. (2024). Whose and what values?: Advancing and illustrating explicit specification of evaluative criteria in education. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 81, 101335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2024.101335
Gates, E.F., Chau Rohn, K. & Murugaiah, K. (2024). Equity-related 鈥榢nots鈥� in theory of change development: Conceptualization and case illustrations. Evaluation and Program Planning, 103.听 听https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2023.102385听
Gates, E., and Mu帽iz, R. (2023). Critical systems heuristics. Journal of Systems Thinking, 3. https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.54120/jost.0000020听
Gates, E. F. (2023). Rich pictures: A visual method for sensemaking amid complexity. American Journal of Evaluation, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10982140231204847.听