Barbara McKenna

Director of Media Relations

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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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  • Advancing Equity Through Deeper Learning
    Project

    Advancing Equity Through Deeper Learning

    This project brings together researchers, civil rights leaders, policymakers, and practitioners to advance understanding and develop policies that leverage deeper learning as a pathway toward educational equity. Through strategic research and shared-learning opportunities, LPI and partners are creating a broader community of actively engaged and knowledgeable equity advocates for deeper learning and building awareness about how high-leverage deeper learning practices can be scaled up. Strategic communications play a critical role in this effort, by promoting powerful examples and advancing a shared message and vision for deeper learning.
    Topics Deeper Learning, Equitable Resources​ and Access

Featured Resources

Report cover image for Investing for Student Success Lessons from State School Finance Reforms
Report

Investing for Student Success: Lessons from State School Finance Reforms

Apr 09 2019
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Money matters when it comes to improving our nation’s schools, but how that money is spent is critical. This report reviews and analyzes efforts by four states to undertake progressive school funding strategies in order to substantially improve learning opportunities for all students and provides recommendations for federal and state policies to address funding inequalities that contribute to the cycle of poverty.
Cover photo for Understanding and Addressing Principal Turnover: A Review of the Research
Report

Understanding and Addressing Principal Turnover: A Review of the Research

Mar 19 2019
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School principals are responsible for maintaining a positive school climate, motivating school staff, and enhancing teachers’ practice. They are vital to ensuring teachers’ success in the classroom and students’ success, but one in five principals leaves their school each year and the numbers are worse in schools in underserved communities. Inadequate preparation, poor working conditions, insufficient salaries, lack of authority, and high-stakes accountability policies are among the drivers of principal turnover that must be addressed.
Cover photo for The Federal Role and School Integration: Brown’s Promise and Present Challenges
Report

The Federal Role and School Integration: Brown’s Promise and Present Challenges

Feb 28 2019
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Public schools are increasingly segregated along both racial and socioeconomic lines and many of the most extremely segregated schools are also the most under-resourced, plagued by inexperienced educators, lack of access to quality curriculum, and lack of quality facilities or access to technology. Although integrated education is not a panacea, diverse learning environments benefit all students and the federal government plays a critical role in fostering school diversity.