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Our Experts Are Now Your Experts
Hypothesi is an educational consulting group committed to helping educators uncover research-based, data-driven answers to questions related to their school improvement efforts.
- Juliane Blazevski, PhD - Founder & Senior Consultant
- Lt. Cmdr. Eric Fretz - Chief Operations Officer
- Elisabeth De Groot, PhD - Sr. Educational Advisor
- Lauren Musu - Project Coordinator & Research Fellow
- Beth Hardin - Assessment Specialist
- Jeanne Friedel, PhD - Consultant
- Jeff Nordine, PhD - Consultant
Juliane Blazevski is the founder and senior consultant at Hypothesi. She has 15 years experience in the
education field as an elementary and middle school teacher, an educational researcher, and as an independent consultant to schools,
educational management companies and organizations, and higher education institutions. Dr. Blazevski has expertise with both
qualitative and quantitative research methods and program evaluation. She provides strategic direction for Hypothesi and is
involved in all aspects of the research process, including research methodology, instrument development, sampling and data collection,
analysis, report writing, and presentation of findings. She also advises clients in the areas of instructional quality, teacher
motivation, classroom climate, self-regulated learning, and student motivation.
Dr. Blazevski is a cum laude graduate of Michigan State University, where she earned a B.A. in Political Science and Elementary Education. She received her M.S. in Developmental Psychology and Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Eric Fretz is the Chief Operational Officer at Hypothesi. He has a 20-year record of accomplishment in the
areas of educational training and operations management. As a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, Eric Fretz has built and led
a variety of high performance teams in shipboard, schoolhouse, and military staff environments. Trained as a team skills facilitator,
instructor, instructor evaluator, and testing officer, he supervised two major schoolhouses at Naval Training Center, Great Lakes. He
also supervised the first implementation of computerized classrooms at the base. Lt. Cmdr. Fretz also has experience consulting in the
area of instructional technology, and has served as manager of service and training for a Michigan computer support company. He has
taught Technology Literacy and Introductory Computer classes in both Iowa and Michigan, and teaches undergraduate and graduate-level
Educational Psychology courses at the University of Michigan as an adjunct instructor.
Lt. Cmdr. Fretz has a B.A. in Education, Training, and Human Development from Southern Illinois University, a M.A. in Education and Training from Southern Illinois University, and a M.A. in Cognitive Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. During his Doctoral program at University of Michigan, he worked for years with a large research group dedicated to educational reform in urban schools through inquiry-based curricula and learner-centered technologies. He anticipates completing his PhD in Psychology and Education this year.
Elisabeth De Groot is the Senior Educational Advisor for Hypothesi. Dr. De Groot is an Assistant Professor in
Educational Studies and the Combined Program in Education and Psychology in the University of Michigan School of Education. She
studies students at risk for school failure and the teachers who teach them, especially factors associated with risk and resilience
in adolescents. Dr. De Groot consults with Hypothesi in all areas of educational theory and research.
Lauren Musu is a project coordinator and research fellow at Hypothesi. She holds primary responsibility for all
aspects of project management, including data collection coordination, database management, scheduling meetings and events, and
working with senior staff to develop and refine projects. Ms. Musu also conducts research and assists in developing proposals and
writing reports. Ms. Musu has over 5 years experience in the areas of data collection and study coordination. Prior to joining
Hypothesi, Ms. Musu was employed as a project manager and research technician at the University of Michigan within the School of
Education.
Ms. Musu earned her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is continuing her training through her collaborative work with consultants at Hypothesi (as a research fellow) and through additional coursework at the Institute for Social Research.
Beth Hardin is an assessment specialist at Hypothesi. Her areas of expertise include the use of observational
classroom assessments, child assessments, telephone and face-to-face interviews, and online surveys. Ms. Hardin holds primary
responsibility for recruiting and training data collectors used in large-scale evaluations and research studies. She also conducts
research and assists in writing reports. Ms. Hardin has over 20 years experience in early childhood and youth development research
and practice; gained as a Senior Research Assistant at High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, and as an assistant director of
the UAW-Ford Child Development Center.
Ms. Hardin earned her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A. in Educational Leadership from Eastern Michigan University. She is a dedicated life-long learner and attends educational assessment trainings and conferences across the country on a regular basis.
Jeanne Friedel is an affiliated consultant for Hypothesi. She provides strategic counsel to clients in the
areas of student motivation, school engagement of inner city youth, child development, middle school education, and parent
involvement. She also consults with Hypothesi on research methodology, multilevel modeling techniques, longitudinal datasets,
and assessment validity. Prior to her work at Hypothesi, Dr. Friedel served as a project manager for the Ready to Learn Project
(University of Michigan) and was a co-investigator for the Math and Science Partnership - Motivation Assessment Program (University
of Michigan). She has also authored a number of publications related to the impact of the social and academic context on student
engagement in urban school settings.
Dr. Friedel is a cum laude graduate of University of Rochester, where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and Biology. She received her M.A. in Psychology and PhD in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Jeff Nordine is an affiliated consultant for Hypothesi. He advises clients in the areas of conceptual change
in science, curriculum design, project-based learning, and the development of organizational structures and policies that support
high quality mathematics and science instruction. In addition to his role at Hypothesi, Dr. Nordine serves as the Dean of Instruction
for Mathematics and Science at the International School of the Americas, a public high school in San Antonio, Texas. He is also an
adjunct faculty member at Trinity University in San Antonio, where he teaches a course for pre-service science teachers. Dr. Nordine’s
prior experience as a high school physics teacher and current role as a school administrator provides a practical perspective and real-world
insight to his strategic counsel.
Dr. Nordine is a cum laude graduate of Trinity University, where he earned a B.A. in Physics and a M.A.T. in Teaching. He received his M.A. in Educational Administration and Supervision and his PhD in Science Education from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.