Benjamin W. Cottingham

Benjamin Cottingham Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE)
Benjamin W. Cottingham
Program Manager,
California Education Partners

Benjamin W. Cottingham is a program manager with California Education Partners. He was previously the associate director of strategic partnerships at Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). His work has focused on improving educational systems to better support effective teaching and learning, with a particular emphasis on how each level of California’s educational system can strengthen their support for schools and teachers. His current research explores strategies to increase A–G eligibility for college, enhance coherence from pre–K through third grade, and integrate AI tools into education safely and responsibly. Cottingham earned his MA in education policy from Stanford University.

updated 2025

Publications by Benjamin W. Cottingham
How can schools provide high-quality distance and blended learning during the pandemic? This brief includes a mix of rigorous evidence from extant studies, data from interviews with practitioners who described their learnings from informal…
Research to Guide Distance and Blended Instruction
This suite of publications provides 10 recommendations based on the PACE report to help educators and district leaders provide high-quality instruction through distance and blended learning models in the 2020-21 school year. Despite the challenges…
Lessons from Other States
This report discusses the challenges California faces in improving educational outcomes for students with disabilities (SWDs) and how inclusion in general education classrooms has positive benefits. It examines strategies used by Massachusetts, New…
The Vision for County Offices of Education
County offices of education (COEs) must support districts to drive continuous improvement in California's education system while building their own capacity for improvement. This policy brief highlights three major shifts that COE superintendents…