Kelsey Krausen

Kelsey Krausen is director of the Strategic Resource Allocation and Systems Planning team at WestEd, where she leads work on funding formula design and evaluation, equitable and strategic resource allocation, organizational reviews, and accountability system design. With over two decades of experience in education policy and administration, she is dedicated to supporting continuous improvement across all levels of the education system and ensuring that resources are allocated strategically and equitably to meet student needs. She formerly served as a senior education research fellow on the team commissioned by former California Attorney General Kamala Harris that authored In School + On Track 2016, a report examining the causes and solutions to the state's elementary school truancy and absenteeism crisis. She also led the school finance research that identified the “Silent Recession,” a nationwide phenomenon in which financial pressures threaten district budgets and student services despite rising school funding levels. Krausen earned her MA in public administration from San Francisco State University and a PhD in school organization and educational policy from the University of California, Davis.

updated 2025