Molly F. Gordon is a Senior Principal Researcher at the Learning Policy Institute. Her primary work focuses on the PreK–12 educator workforce, with the goal of ensuring that all students have access to high-quality teachers and school leaders. Preparing, developing, hiring, and retaining high-quality educators is critical for improving student achievement. Gordon has over 20 years of experience leading, managing, and conducting qualitative and mixed-methods studies. She currently serves as a key contributor and senior advisor on multiple LPI projects.

Prior to joining LPI, Gordon was a Senior Research Scientist at NORC at the University of Chicago where she investigated school leader pipelines and was involved in numerous early childhood education focused studies. She has received grants from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and numerous philanthropic foundations. Before NORC, she was a Research Scientist at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, where she studied the impacts of closing multiple schools in Chicago on staff and students, with funding support from the Spencer Foundation and the Chicago Community Trust.

Gordon has published multiple research reports, policy briefs, book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Educational Administrative Quarterly, Journal of Educational Administration, Educational Policy, American Journal of Education, and International Journal of Leadership in Education. She also co-authored a book for school principals, with Karen Seashore Louis, on how to align student support with achievement goals, published by Corwin Press. She has presented her work to policy, research, and practice audiences and has developed and conducted professional learning sessions based on her work.

Gordon holds a PhD in Education Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, and an MA in Educational Policy Studies and BA in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.