People

Livia Lam

Livia Lam served as Senior Policy Advisor for the Learning Policy Institute, and is now a Legislative Director for U.S. Senator Patty Murray.
Anna Maier

Research and Policy Associate

Anna Maier is a member of LPI’s Early Childhood Learning and Deeper Learning teams, and is a co-author of The Road to High-Quality Early Learning: Lessons from the States. Read more >

Topics Early Childhood Learning, Deeper Learning
Barbara McKenna

Director of Media Relations

Barbara McKenna is the Director of Media Relations. She oversees outreach relations for LPI, communicating LPI’s news to media and the public and serving as a resource for members of the press looking for research to inform education news of the day. Read more >
Hanna Melnick

Research Analyst and Policy Advisor

Hanna Melnick co-leads the Early Childhood Learning team. She is the lead author of Understanding California’s Early Care and Education System and Building an Early Learning System That Works: Next Steps for California. Read more >

Topics Early Childhood Learning, Deeper Learning, The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Beth Meloy

Senior Researcher and Policy Analyst

Beth Meloy co-leads the Early Childhood Learning team. She is the co-author of Building an Early Learning System That Works: Next Steps for California, and her work focuses on policy and practice to improve early care and education opportunities for all children in California and nationwide. Read more >

Topic Early Childhood Learning
Charmaine Mercer

Charmaine Mercer served as a Senior Researcher for the Learning Policy Institute, and is now a Program Officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Anne Podolsky

Researcher and Policy Analyst

Anne Podolsky is a member of LPI’s Educator Quality Team. Her work includes having served as the co-author of the report, Does Teaching Experience Increase Teacher Effectiveness? A Review of the Research? and lead author on LPI’s report, Solving the Teacher Shortage: How to Attract and Retain Excellent Educators. Read more >

Topic Educator Quality
Aaron Reeves

Graphic Designer

Aaron Reeves is the Graphic Designer. He also helps produce and edit LPI’s videos and supports the Institute’s online work. Read more >
Martens Roc

Policy and Outreach Advisor

Martens Roc is a member of LPI’s Deeper Learning, Policy, and Communication teams and a co-author of Equity and ESSA: Leveraging Educational Opportunity Through the Every Student Succeeds Act. He manages the Institute's social media communications. Read more >

Topic Deeper Learning
Mandy Rodrigues

Web Specialist

Mandy Rodrigues is a member of LPI’s Communication team and leads the web development and management work. Read more >

Pages

Report

Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color

Apr 19 2018

More and more states and districts are recognizing that recruiting and retaining teachers of color can help meet their students' needs while also helping to curb critical teacher shortages. But prospective teachers of color encounter unique barriers to entering and staying in the profession. High-retention pathways—combining high-quality clinically rich preparation with financial support—can be especially effective at reversing those trends.

Report

Building an Early Learning System that Works: Next Steps for California

Jan 23 2018

There is overwhelming evidence that children’s early years, from birth through preschool, are a crucial time for their development, and that high-quality early learning opportunities support children’s school readiness, promote later life success, and yield a return of up to $7 for every $1 invested. Providing access to high-quality ECE for all children in California will require a comprehensive approach to turning an uncoordinated set of underfunded programs into a true system of supports for children, families, and providers. A complement to LPI’s earlier report Understanding California’s Early Care and Education System, this report examines the challenges California’s counties face in providing ECE and provides recommendations for improving access to high-quality ECE for all children.

Report

The Promise of Performance Assessments: Innovations in High School Learning and Higher Education Admissions

Jan 18 2018

A new study looks at the use of performance assessments for both K-12 learning and college admission, placement and advising. The study is the first research produced through Reimagining College Access, a national initiative of the Learning Policy Institute and EducationCounsel that for the first time brings together k-12 and higher education policy and practice leaders to recognize and foster high-quality k–12 performance assessment systems.

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