As an RTI Fellow and Director of Research within the International Education Division, I work on learning from our efforts to improve education outcomes for children around the world.

Much of my work over the last decade has been on the development and deployment of the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA), a system-level diagnostic for understanding students’ foundation skills in reading. To date, EGRA has been used in more than 120 languages and 70 countries to inform policy and improve instruction.

My research and policy interests include improvement and measurement of student learning; education finance; conditional cash transfer programs; and factors affecting achievement, enrollment and attendance. As a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil, I designed and conducted a study of more than 1,000 families to assess the impact of a conditional cash transfer program (Bolsa Escola) on student attendance and achievement.

My publications include a 2011 edited volume entitled "The Early Grade Reading Assessment: Applications and Interventions to Improve Basic Literacy." and "Early Grade Reading: Igniting Education for All." I received my PhD in International Comparative Education and my master's in Economics from Stanford University.