Madelyn Gardner is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the Learning Policy Institute. In her role, Gardner conducts research on issues of access, quality, and equity in state early learning systems. She is also interested in approaches to support educators’ preparation and ongoing development. Gardner previously worked for the Zaentz Early Education Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she analyzed data from the Early Learning Study at Harvard, a longitudinal, population-based study of young children in Massachusetts.

Gardner will receive her PhD in Education (Human Development, Learning, and Teaching) from Harvard University in May 2025. She also holds an MA in International Education Policy Analysis from Stanford University and a BA with honors in Anthropology from Grinnell College.