Dr. Margaret Merlyn Ropp is the Director of the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI), having previously served as the Manager of Data Development and Support Services.  CEPI is responsible for the collection of educational data for the state of Michigan and for providing reports and analysis of that data to educators, policy makers, parents, and other agencies. 

Dr. Ropp earned her Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art and taught K-12 art at Louisville Public Schools before earning a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  After earning her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a Specialization in Cognition and Technology, she was an Assistant Professor of Educational Technology at the University of New Mexico. After returning to Michigan in 2000, she became the Director of Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development at the Michigan Virtual University (MVU) and worked on the Michigan Virtual High School project.  At MVU, Dr. Ropp also worked as the Director of Research and Evaluation for the LEADing the Future, Michigan’s Gates Foundation administrator leadership project.  Her research interests include the use of data visualization for assessment, instruction, and data-driven decision making.