Melissa Arnold Lyon

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Melissa Arnold Lyon
Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy,
University at Albany, SUNY

Melissa Arnold Lyon is an assistant professor of public policy at the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, SUNY. Her research focuses on the political economy of education policy, with an emphasis on inequality, governance, and teacher politics and policy. Lyon employs quantitative methods to explore how political structures influence, and are influenced by, the behaviors of market actors, as well as how economic inequalities shape education governance. Her work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Human Resources, American Educational Research Journal, and Educational Researcher. Prior to her academic career, Lyon taught middle school English and served as a manager of teacher leadership development with Teach for America in Houston, Texas. Arnold Lyon received her PhD and MPhil in education policy and social analysis from Teachers College, Columbia University.

updated 2025

Contributing topics
Continuous school improvement & support
Educational governance & policy
Contributing initiatives
Getting Down To Facts II
Melissa Arnold Lyon in the Media
: Creating Coherent Systems to Support Education Improvement
Publications by Melissa Arnold Lyon
GDTFII Brief Governance
Creating Coherent Systems to Support Education Improvement
California's implementation of Common Core State Standards and Local Control Funding Formula requires new support systems for districts, including professional networks and the California Department of Education. Successful implementation requires…