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
PACE Executive Director Heather Hough on Cultivating a Sense of Belonging to Spark Students’ Enthusiasm for Learning in EdSource Podcast
 | EdSource
Boosting Student Success After COVID Is a Team Effort
 | EdSource
Reenergizing Learning: PACE Executive Director Heather Hough Discusses Strategies for Getting Beyond Stagnant Test Scores with EdSource Panel
 | EdSource
PACE Executive Director Heather Hough Speaks on Education Policy, Teacher Shortage, and Other Challenges in Capitol Weekly Conference
 | Capitol Weekly
Have Bay Area Students Recovered from Pandemic Learning Losses? Here’s What State Test Scores Show
 | The Mercury News
Publications by Heather J. Hough
Assessing Voters’ and Parents’ Perspectives on Current Threats to Public Education
Assessing Voters’ and Parents’ Perspectives on Current Threats to Public Education
The 2022 PACE/USC Rossier Poll
The 2021-22 academic year in California was challenging for public education due to eight issues that threaten student learning, schools, and public education itself, including gun violence, declining enrollment, and long-term funding inadequacy.…
In 2002 Congress passed the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (ESRA), authorizing the creation of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) as the research, evaluation, statistics, and assessment arm of the Department of Education, and crystallizing the federal government's commitment to providing national leadership in expanding fundamental knowledge and understanding of education from early childhood through postsecondary study. IES shares information on the condition and progress of education in the
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students and Educational Systems
Critical Actions for Recovery and the Role of Research in the Years Ahead
IES issued a report on the future of education research at the National Centers for Education Research and Special Education Research. The report identifies issues, details new methods and research investments needed in the future. PACE produced a…
Report Hough July21 thumbnail
Californians and K–12 Education Amid COVID-19 Recovery
Views from the 2021 PACE/USC Rossier Poll
Growing inequities and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic together with billions of dollars in new funding present an opportunity to make substantial changes to K–12 education to b
restorative_restart_52021
Restorative Restart
The Path Towards Reimagining and Rebuilding Schools
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all students; however, its impact has been particularly devastating for students of color, students from low-income families, English learners, and other marginalized children and youth. As transmission rates…