Sarah Ryan

Sarah Ryan is a senior research scientist at the Education Development Center (EDC), a global nonprofit that advances lasting solutions to improve education, promote health, and expand economic opportunity. She was previously a research scientist in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a research fellow in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at Carnegie Mellon University. She studies how policy and practice can more effectively support historically underserved youth, particularly during young adulthood. Dr. Ryan is recognized for her expertise in postsecondary access and trajectories and in supporting multilingual learners. She leads research to develop measures that reliably capture youth experiences, particularly competency-based education and social capital. While certified under the current What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Group Design Standards, she regularly serves as a WWC reviewer evaluating the extent to which studies provide robust evidence of effectiveness. Dr. Ryan holds a PhD in education policy from the University of California, Riverside, an MS in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a BA in education from Edgewood College.

updated 2021