About

About

Since 2006, the Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR) at Harvard University has developed a distinctive approach to fulfilling its mission to transform education through the power of quality research and evidence. 

We believe that if we want to dramatically improve educational outcomes for all children, evidence must play a critical role. 

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Theory of Action

Generate relevant and accessible research to answer critical questions for the education field

Develop technical and organizational capacity within education agencies to uncover and use evidence

Create a community and movement of schools and systems dedicated to using evidence for progress

Why Education Research Matters: CEPR's Model to Transform the Education System

Our Team

CEPR's team of talented leaders, mission-driven staff, and diverse experts and advisors place our work at the forefront of the education research field. 

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Leadership

Leadership
Staff

Staff
John B King Jr

Advisory Board

Our Team

Claire Gogolen
Senior Project Manager, Mathematics Teaching and Teacher Learning program
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Thomas J. Kane
Faculty Director
Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Member, Yidan Prize Foundation Council of Luminaries
Thomas Kane

Lydia Killos
Senior Advisor, Special Projects, Strategic Data Project
Lydia Killos

Katie Lane
Project Manager, Mathematics Teaching and Teacher Learning
Katie Jacobsen headshot

Sofía Marin
Higher Education Program Coordinator, Strategic Data Project
Sofia Marin

Juda Smack
Higher Education Program Manager, Strategic Data Project
Juda Smack

Elise Swanson
Director of Research Initiatives for College and Career Success
Elise Swanson Headshot

CEPR's History

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After the No Child Left Behind Act mandated that states implement standardized testing for students in grades four through eight, education policy underwent a major shift. “The states and districts were drowning in test-score data,” CEPR Faculty Director Thomas Kane told Harvard Magazine, “and yet they didn’t really have the resources to study it."

In 2006, funds from Harvard's discretionary presidential account were dedicated to found CEPR, which today comprises about 14 researchers and 50 staff dedicated to providing expertise for education agencies and policymakers and improving educational outcomes through data. 

To date, CEPR has worked on topics ranging from teacher effectiveness to postsecondary access and success to school improvement and redesign; expanded to provide training and support to data experts in education; and built improvement networks dedicated to finding what works in education, scaling it up, and spreading it.

Learn more.

Advisory Board

Guiding our work is a passionate group of advisors with diverse experience and wisdom to help us achieve our mission.

The CEPR advisory board brings together national, state, and district policymakers and practitioners; leaders in education reform; technological innovators; and renowned researchers.

Meet our advisors
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Get Involved

CEPR is committed to sustaining evidence-driven change around critical issues in education. Join our network of school districts, state education agencies, charter management organizations, and nonprofits.