Ilana Umansky

IUmansky
Ilana Umansky
Associate Professor of Education Policy and Leadership and Quantitative Research Methods in Education, College of Education,
University of Oregon

Ilana Umansky is an associate professor of education policy and leadership and quantitative research methods in education in the College of Education at the University of Oregon. Her work focuses on quantitative and longitudinal analysis of the educational opportunities and outcomes of immigrant students, emerging bilingual students, and students classified in school as English learners. She has collaborated with school districts and national education organizations to improve educational opportunities for their English learner students. She previously worked in educational equity and quality research in Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, El Salvador, and other Latin American countries. Umansky received her PhD in the sociology of education and race, inequality, and language in education from Stanford University.

updated 2025

Contributing topics
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
COVID-19 Recovery
Getting Down To Facts II
Newcomer Education
Commentary by Ilana Umansky
: COVID-19’s Impact on English Learner Students: Possible Policy Responses
: Reclassification Patterns Among Latino English Learner Students in Bilingual, Dual Immersion, and English Immersion Classrooms
Ilana Umansky in the Media
: How Schools Can Help Children Recover from COVID Closures
: Major National Research Project Finds California Education Beginning on Right Path; Improvements on Reforms Needed
: English-Language-Learner Classification Can Impede Student Growth
: 5 Takeaways on Educating California’s English Learners
: Ilana Umansky on Improving the Opportunities and Outcomes of California’s Students Learning English
Publications by Ilana Umansky
Newcomer Students’ English Language Development
Newcomer Students’ English Language Development
A Summary Brief
This brief outlines findings from a study that examines the English proficiency levels and growth of newcomer English learner students in comparison to their non-newcomer peers. It was found that while newcomer students tend to have lower initial…
GDTFII Brief EL
English Learners
Charting Their Experiences and Mapping Their Futures in California Schools
California's 1.3 million English learner (EL) students have diverse needs, and many lack access to grade-level content instruction, with English language development falling short. Bilingual and dual immersion programs benefit ELs' academic,…
Improving the Opportunities and Outcomes of California's Students Learning English
Findings from School District-University Collaborative Partnerships
Policy changes in California create an opportunity to improve education for 1.4 million English learner students. Research suggests improving classification and alignment between services, systematic data collection and improving opportunities in…