Heather J. Hough

heather_hough
Heather J. Hough
Senior Policy and Research Fellow,
Policy Analysis for California Education, Stanford University

Heather J. Hough is a senior research and policy fellow and former executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) at Stanford University. As executive director, she led major statewide initiatives connecting research, policy, and practice. Hough is also an independent consultant and nationally recognized expert in education policy and governance. She works with state and local leaders to strengthen education systems with a focus on strategic planning, policy coherence, system improvement, and collaborative decision making. Her consulting practice helps organizations translate evidence into action by aligning goals, policies, and resources to improve student outcomes and rebuild public trust in education. She is an active volunteer and board member at the local and state levels, where she advances meaningful policy changes that improve people’s lives and strengthen public services delivery. Hough received her PhD in education policy from Stanford University.

updated 2025

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
Getting Down To Facts II
LCFF Research Collaborative
Organizing Schools to Serve Students with Disabilities
PACE/USC Rossier Voter Poll
Commentary by Heather J. Hough
: California’s Dashboard Data Will Guide Improvement
Heather J. Hough in the Media
Santa Barbara’s Enrollment Decline Reflects Wider California Trends
 | Santa Barbara Independent
Covid’s Long Shadow in California: Chronic Absences, Student Depression and the Limits of Money
 | EdSource
Bay Area School Enrollment Plunges as Families Flee High-Cost Region
 | The Mercury News
These High Schoolers Learned About the Value of Money. Should Every California Student?
 | The Sacramento Bee
California Voters May Decide if Financial Literacy Should Be Required in School. Should They?
 | The Sacramento Bee
Publications by Heather J. Hough
Enacting Social-Emotional Learning
Practices and Supports Employed in CORE Districts and Schools
This study explores ten "outlier schools" in California's CORE districts that have strong social-emotional learning outcomes. The brief and infographic summarize the various practices found in these schools and the common implementation challenges…
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"Seeing the Whole Elephant"
Changing Mindsets and Empowering Stakeholders to Meaningfully Manage Accountability and Improvement
The shift towards multiple-measure dashboard accountability has potential for promoting more meaningful learning, but also comes with challenges. Lessons learned from research on CORE Districts show that a shift to flexibility and capacity building…
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How Should States Design Their Accountability Systems?
The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) allows states to reshape their school accountability systems. One dominant model is the letter-grade system first adopted by Florida, while California is developing a dashboard-style system that encompasses…
Continuous Improvement in Practice
This report explores the concept of "continuous improvement" in California's K-12 education system, defining it as a shared, evidence-based process that requires a change in culture and a substantial investment of time and resources. Interviews with…