H. Alix Gallagher

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H. Alix Gallagher
Managing Director and Director of Strategic Partnerships,
Policy Analysis for California Education, Stanford University

H. Alix Gallagher is the managing director and director of strategic partnerships at Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE). In research partnerships with California Education Partners and CORE Districts, the partners co-develop a research plan that provides ongoing feedback to support those organizations’ work and broader learning for California about how to support district and school improvement. Gallagher also leads PACE’s partnership with TeachAI, engaging with how artificial intelligence (AI) affects education and what state and district-policy makers could do in emerging arena. In response to COVID-19, Gallagher leveraged her knowledge of instruction and teacher learning to support partners rethinking instructional models to include distance and blended learning. Before joining PACE, Gallagher was an associate director at the Center for Education Policy at SRI International, where she led large-scale randomized controlled trials and policy studies. She received her PhD in education from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

updated 2024

Contributing topics
Access, quality & alignment in early childhood education
College access & postsecondary success
Continuous school improvement & support
Education finance
Educational governance & policy
Educator workforce & effectiveness
Supporting students’ social-emotional, mental & physical health
Understanding, measuring & improving student outcomes
Contributing initiatives
Continuous Improvement and Support Systems in California
CORE-PACE Research Partnership
COVID-19 Recovery
Commentary by H. Alix Gallagher
: Modest Gains and Persistent Gaps in Student Performance in 2023–24
: Strategies for Successful Scaling in Districts: Breaking the Cycle of the "Next New Thing"
: Unlocking the Potential of Transitional Kindergarten Requires Better Data on Early Education
: From Reactive to Proactive: Putting Districts in the AI Driver’s Seat
: The Urgent Need to Update District Policies on Student Use of Artificial Intelligence in Education
H. Alix Gallagher in the Media
: As Transitional Kindergarten Programs Grow in Roseville, Capital Area Communities Look to Expand Offerings
: California Students’ Test Scores Show Slow Recovery From Pandemic-Era Learning Losses
: How California Can Fix Its School Crisis. Two PACE Projects Point the Way
: Marin Schools Mostly Reduce Chronic Absenteeism
: New School Data Raises Concerns Among California Education Experts About Pandemic Recovery
Publications by H. Alix Gallagher
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Evaluation of the Breakthrough Success Community
2019–20 Through 2022–23
This report examines the CORE Districts’ Breakthrough Success Community (BTSC), which focused on improving ninth-grade on-track rates through evidence-based changes in daily practice. Some schools effectively adapted BTSC strategies, fostering…
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Taking Reform to Scale
Learning from California Education Partners’ Collaborations
This brief introduces a three-part series describing California Education Partners’ multistage approach to supporting school districts with improving their students’ outcomes in literacy and mathematics. The approach addresses persistent barriers to…
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Scalable Systems for Adult Capacity Building
Translating Sierra House Elementary School’s Pilot Practices Across Lake Tahoe Unified School District
This case study explores how Lake Tahoe Unified School District worked to improve math instruction, starting a pilot at Sierra House Elementary School. Partnering with California Education Partners, LTUSD addressed stagnant test scores by developing…
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Building Momentum One Step at a Time
Grass Valley School District’s Progress Towards P–3 Coherence in Literacy
Grass Valley School District (GVSD) partnered with California Education Partners through an initiative to improve literacy instruction. Over three years, GVSD implemented new literacy assessments and phonics practices, emphasizing teacher leadership…