About
An independent education research and evaluation practice.
NovaEventus Educational Consulting and Metrics works with state and local education agencies and the research organizations that serve them. We design defensible evaluations, strengthen evidence, and translate complex data into decisions — drawing on direct experience at the district, state, and federal levels.
Founder & Senior Consultant
Ph.D., Leadership, Research & Policy
Leadership
Dr. Eric C. Mason
Dr. Eric C. Mason has spent three decades in K–12 education and research — as Director of Assessment and Evaluation for Colorado Springs School District 11, a graduate instructor in program evaluation, a member of the Colorado Department of Education's data advisory committee, and an Education Research Scientist (Program Manager / COR) at the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, where he managed $86 million in federal contracts across the Regional Educational Laboratories. That path — from generating district data to overseeing federally funded research — shapes how NovaEventus approaches every engagement.
The through-line is methodological rigor in service of practical decisions: evaluations built to withstand scrutiny, evidence framed for the people who have to act on it, and analysis translated into formats leaders and practitioners can use.
Education
Ph.D., Leadership, Research & Policy
University of Colorado Colorado Springs · 2018
M.A., Curriculum & Instruction
University of Colorado Colorado Springs · 2013
B.F.A., Theater
Southwestern University · 1994
Service
Educational Data Advisory Committee
Colorado Department of Education
Chair, Regional Student Achievement Consortium
Pikes Peak region, Colorado
Graduate Adjunct Instructor
Program Evaluation & Curriculum Assessment
Experience
A career across every level of the system.
2025–Present
Founder & Senior Consultant, NovaEventus ECM
Independent evaluation design, evidence strategy, and proposal support for agencies and research organizations.
2023–2025
Education Research Scientist (Program Manager / COR), Institute of Education Sciences
U.S. Department of Education. Program officer overseeing federally funded research across Regional Educational Laboratories.
2014–2023
Director of Assessment & Evaluation
Colorado Springs School District 11 — 32,000 students across 60 schools. Districtwide assessment strategy, data systems, and evaluation.
2019–2023
Graduate Adjunct Instructor
University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Program Evaluation and Curriculum Assessment.
1995–2013
Classroom Educator & Nonprofit Leadership
Texas, Colorado, and Indiana. Teaching, program development, and volunteer organization leadership.
How we work
Method first, and built to be used.
Rigor that holds up
Designs aligned to What Works Clearinghouse standards, with covariate strategy, robustness checks, and transparent methods documented from the start.
Evidence in context
Analysis framed for policy and practice — subgroup effects, growth trajectories, and findings connected to the decisions in front of leaders.
Capacity that stays
Dashboards, documentation, and training that leave agencies and teams able to sustain the work after the engagement ends.
Start a conversation
Have an evaluation to design, an evidence base to strengthen, or a proposal to sharpen?
Start a conversationor email eric@novaeventus.com