Carrie Hahnel

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Carrie Hahnel
Senior Associate Partner for Policy and Evaluation,
Bellwether

Carrie Hahnel is senior associate partner for policy and evaluation at Bellwether and a senior policy and research fellow with Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). Her research and policy expertise focus on school finance, school data, education accountability, and ways in which policies and systems can mitigate racial and socioeconomic inequities. She most recently served as senior director of policy and strategy with the Opportunity Institute and has also held positions as the deputy director for policy and research and interim co-executive director for The Education Trust—West and as research and evaluation director for the KIPP network of schools. She started her career in education as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer and has also worked as an arts education advocate. She received her BA from Carleton College and her MEd from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

updated 2025

Publications by Carrie Hahnel
Declining student enrollment is leading to a loss of revenue in many California school districts. To address ongoing budget shortfalls, many districts have consolidated or shuttered schools,and others are contemplating doing so. A new report and…
Enrollment in California public schools has been declining and is projected to fall even more steeply during the next decade. Because funding for school districts is largely based on average daily attendance rates, a decline in enrollment results in…
Trade-offs and Policy Alternatives for California
CA is one of six states that still use average daily attendance (ADA) to allocate state education funding to school districts. A new report suggests that 90% of districts would receive more funding under an enrollment-based formula than under the…
This report examines California's Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) after eight years and suggests refinements to improve equitable funding, opportunities, and outcomes. Based on interviews, research, and data analysis, the report identifies four…