Barbara McKenna

Director of Media Relations

Get In Touch

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
Browse By
Clear all filters
Showing 1 of 1 resources
  • 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

Cover photo for California’s Positive Outliers: Districts Beating the Odds
Report

California’s Positive Outliers: Districts Beating the Odds

May 16 2019
|
LPI studied 156 California school districts of significant size in which students of color, as well as White students, consistently achieve at higher levels than students from similar racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. What are these "positive outliers" doing to raise achievement and support students of all backgrounds?
teacher talking to student in a school hallway
Report

Protecting Students' Civil Rights: The Federal Role in School Discipline

May 01 2019
|
In 2018, the Trump administration rescinded voluntary federal guidance intended to help states end exclusionary and discriminatory school discipline practices. Many states had implemented policies based on evidence-based approaches outlined in the guidance and have seen lower rates of suspensions and expulsions among all students, including students of color, and other benefits. Loss of that guidance removes an important set of resources available to states and districts to end harmful practices.
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
|
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.