Barbara McKenna

Director of Media Relations

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202.798.5595

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. McKenna started her career as a reporter at the Washington Post and segued into public relations after stints as a writer and editor at several California weekly and daily papers. Previously, she was Director of Public Outreach at the Regional Educational Laboratory West at WestEd; Director of Communications at the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education; and Head of Communications at the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence.

McKenna is a member of the Community Advisory Board for the Education Writers Association. She earned her B.A. in English from Oberlin College.

For more about Barbara McKenna's work, see list below.

Barbara McKenna
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Featured Resources

Report

California’s Special Education Teacher Shortage

Feb 18 2020
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A severe special education teacher shortage threatens the ability to improve outcomes for students with disabilities, who often have the greatest needs but receive the least expert teachers. LPI researchers review the factors contributing to special education teacher turnover and provide evidence-based policy strategies aimed at resolving the shortage.
student excited to learn
Report

Inequitable Opportunity to Learn: Student Access to Certified and Experienced Teachers

Feb 12 2020
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Access to fully certified and experienced teachers matters for student outcomes and achievement, yet many states have hired uncertified and inexperienced teachers to fill gaps created by persistent teacher shortages. These teachers are disproportionately found in schools with high enrollments of students of color, according to LPI analysis of the most recent U.S. Department of Education Civil Rights Data Collection, which has proposed cutting key data collection questions related to school funding and educator experience.
Graduate putting cap on young child
Report

Promising Models for Preparing a Diverse, High-Quality Early Childhood Workforce

Dec 10 2019
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The first years of a child’s life provide a foundation for long-term health and well-being. As states consider policy proposals to update credential or degree requirements for early childhood educators, they can look to promising programs and state policies that recruit and prepare diverse cohorts of educators to teach in early childhood education programs. This report includes case studies of distinct approaches offering innovative, affordable pathways to preparation for diverse candidates.