New Research from AERDF and ETS Reveals Decoding Threshold is a Key Barrier to Reading Proficiency in Older K-12 Students

Team & Partners

The EF+Math community is over 200 people strong and includes a diverse, multi-disciplinary group who bring extensive experience in education, learning science, math equity and math learning, digital technology and innovation.

Team Category

Meet the program executive team

Adam Smith

Associate Director, Inclusive R&D Partnerships

Asha Lane

Program Operations Manager

Aubrey Francisco

Co-Executive Director (EF+Math)

Debbra Lindo

Superintendent in Residence; Educator Leadership Council

Gabriela Rivera

Senior Manager, R&D Partnerships

Jennifer Wolfe

Strategic Communications Consultant

Karen Douglas

Advisor, Research & Evaluation

Megan Brunner

Associate Director, Research & Learning

Michelle Tiu

Co-Executive Director (EF+Math)

Rebecca Merkley

Executive Functions Consultant

Meet the program advisory board

Previously, EF+Math had several different advisory groups, including the Educator Leadership Council (ELC), Equity Research Advisory Board (ERA), and other experts. These groups were valuable in supporting EF+Math’s centering of equity, educator voice, and inclusive research and development. The ELC helped with program design and helped to launch our program from its beginning. We centered their voices in our collaborations with our Project Teams. As EF+Math moves into the evaluation phase of its work, these groups have merged into the PAB. We are thankful to everyone who has supported our team and helped make our work stronger and more equitable.

Aimee Penn

Educator Leadership Council

Amy Allen

Educator Leadership Council

Bea Moore-Luchin

Crystal Menzies

Curtis Taylor

Educator Leadership Council

Diana Leyva

Jeannette Franklin

Educator Leadership Council

Jennifer Davis

Educator Leadership Council

Josh Stewart

Lawrence Ke Xu

Educator Leadership Council

Luis Torres

Educator Leadership Council

Maria Benzon

Educator Leadership Council

Maxim Vickerie

Educator Leadership Council

Melynee Naegele

Educator Leadership Council

Pedro Rodriguez

Educator Leadership Council

Rose Kendrick

Educator Leadership Council

Sofia Guerrero

Educator Leadership Council

Stephen Aguilar

Teya Rutherford

Tyron Young

Educator Leadership Council

Yesmi Rios

Educator Leadership Council

Meet the partners​

American Institutes for Research (AIR)

AIR’s mission is to generate and use rigorous evidence that contributes to a better, more equitable world. Our partners at AIR bring deep expertise in mathematics education, implementation and evaluation of educational products, educational technology, and iterative research methodologies. The AIR team is conducting evaluations of our R&D team prototypes and working in partnership with the EF+Math community to engage in inclusive evaluation processes that serve students and teachers. Our AIR partners include: Toni Smith, Ryan Williams, Tiffini Pruitt-Britton, Bo Zhu, and their team.

Digital Promise

Digital Promise’s mission is to accelerate innovation in education to improve opportunities to learn. Through their Inclusive Innovation model, they create and catalyze equitable opportunities for under-resourced and under-represented communities to lead, participate in and benefit from education innovation through equity-centered R&D. Their team brings expertise in co-design, community and school district engagement in R&D, program and product development, math learning science and professional development. Our Digital Promise partners include: Kim Smith, Jenny Bradbury, and Tyron Young.

Advisors

Cameron White

Strategic Advisor - Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund

David Dockterman

Product Design and Development Consultant - Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education

Imani Goffney

Assistant Professor at University of Maryland College of Education

Jeremy Roschelle

Executive Director of Learning Sciences Research at Digital Promise

Melina Uncapher

Assistant Professor and Director of Education at the University of California San Francisco

Emeritus

We are grateful for the partnership and expertise of our colleagues in this work who have transitioned to other personal and professional ventures. While they are no longer with us in our day to day operations, we want to acknowledge their role and impact on our Program.

Alex Vazquez

Former Operations & Grants Manager

Amber Gardner

Former Educator Leadership Council Consultant

Arati Prabhakar

Former Program Strategy Consultant

Ayesha Hunter

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Cheryl James-Ward

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Dana Miller-Cotto

Former Equity Research Advisory Board Manager

David Niemi

Former Evaluation Consultant

Gabriela Cardenas

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

HJ Habte

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

JoeAnn Nguyen

Former Equity Research Advisory Fellow

Joshua Taton

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Kai Ivory

Former Associate Director, District Partnerships

Karin Leifeld

Inclusive R&D Advisor

Kristen Fuller

Former Grants and Contracts Consultant

Kysie Miao

Former Educator Engagement Lead

Lynn Olson

Former Communications Consultant

Matin Abdel-Qawi

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Nancy Poon Lue

Former Chief Operations Officer

Rose Else-Mitchell

Former Product Development Consultant

Shahara Ahmed

Former Educator Engagement Fellow

Thaly Germain

Former Equity by Design Consultant

Zoe D’Esposito

Former Senior Program Manager

Meet the program executive team

Adam Smith

Associate Director, Inclusive R&D Partnerships

Asha Lane

Program Operations Manager

Aubrey Francisco

Co-Executive Director (EF+Math)

Debbra Lindo

Superintendent in Residence; Educator Leadership Council

Gabriela Rivera

Senior Manager, R&D Partnerships

Jennifer Wolfe

Strategic Communications Consultant

Karen Douglas

Advisor, Research & Evaluation

Megan Brunner

Associate Director, Research & Learning

Michelle Tiu

Co-Executive Director (EF+Math)

Rebecca Merkley

Executive Functions Consultant

Meet the program advisory board

Previously, EF+Math had several different advisory groups, including the Educator Leadership Council (ELC), Equity Research Advisory Board (ERA), and other experts. These groups were valuable in supporting EF+Math’s centering of equity, educator voice, and inclusive research and development. The ELC helped with program design and helped to launch our program from its beginning. We centered their voices in our collaborations with our Project Teams. As EF+Math moves into the evaluation phase of its work, these groups have merged into the PAB. We are thankful to everyone who has supported our team and helped make our work stronger and more equitable.

Aimee Penn

Educator Leadership Council

Amy Allen

Educator Leadership Council

Bea Moore-Luchin

Crystal Menzies

Curtis Taylor

Educator Leadership Council

Diana Leyva

Jeannette Franklin

Educator Leadership Council

Jennifer Davis

Educator Leadership Council

Josh Stewart

Lawrence Ke Xu

Educator Leadership Council

Luis Torres

Educator Leadership Council

Maria Benzon

Educator Leadership Council

Maxim Vickerie

Educator Leadership Council

Melynee Naegele

Educator Leadership Council

Pedro Rodriguez

Educator Leadership Council

Rose Kendrick

Educator Leadership Council

Sofia Guerrero

Educator Leadership Council

Stephen Aguilar

Teya Rutherford

Tyron Young

Educator Leadership Council

Yesmi Rios

Educator Leadership Council

Meet the partners​

American Institutes for Research (AIR)

AIR’s mission is to generate and use rigorous evidence that contributes to a better, more equitable world. Our partners at AIR bring deep expertise in mathematics education, implementation and evaluation of educational products, educational technology, and iterative research methodologies. The AIR team is conducting evaluations of our R&D team prototypes and working in partnership with the EF+Math community to engage in inclusive evaluation processes that serve students and teachers. Our AIR partners include: Toni Smith, Ryan Williams, Tiffini Pruitt-Britton, Bo Zhu, and their team.

Digital Promise

Digital Promise’s mission is to accelerate innovation in education to improve opportunities to learn. Through their Inclusive Innovation model, they create and catalyze equitable opportunities for under-resourced and under-represented communities to lead, participate in and benefit from education innovation through equity-centered R&D. Their team brings expertise in co-design, community and school district engagement in R&D, program and product development, math learning science and professional development. Our Digital Promise partners include: Kim Smith, Jenny Bradbury, and Tyron Young.

Advisors

Cameron White

Strategic Advisor - Partner at NewSchools Venture Fund

David Dockterman

Product Design and Development Consultant - Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education

Imani Goffney

Assistant Professor at University of Maryland College of Education

Jeremy Roschelle

Executive Director of Learning Sciences Research at Digital Promise

Melina Uncapher

Assistant Professor and Director of Education at the University of California San Francisco

Emeritus

We are grateful for the partnership and expertise of our colleagues in this work who have transitioned to other personal and professional ventures. While they are no longer with us in our day to day operations, we want to acknowledge their role and impact on our Program.

Alex Vazquez

Former Operations & Grants Manager

Amber Gardner

Former Educator Leadership Council Consultant

Arati Prabhakar

Former Program Strategy Consultant

Ayesha Hunter

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Cheryl James-Ward

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Dana Miller-Cotto

Former Equity Research Advisory Board Manager

David Niemi

Former Evaluation Consultant

Gabriela Cardenas

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

HJ Habte

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

JoeAnn Nguyen

Former Equity Research Advisory Fellow

Joshua Taton

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Kai Ivory

Former Associate Director, District Partnerships

Karin Leifeld

Inclusive R&D Advisor

Kristen Fuller

Former Grants and Contracts Consultant

Kysie Miao

Former Educator Engagement Lead

Lynn Olson

Former Communications Consultant

Matin Abdel-Qawi

Educator Leadership Council Emeritus

Nancy Poon Lue

Former Chief Operations Officer

Rose Else-Mitchell

Former Product Development Consultant

Shahara Ahmed

Former Educator Engagement Fellow

Thaly Germain

Former Equity by Design Consultant

Zoe D’Esposito

Former Senior Program Manager

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