She has a B.A. from Wellesley College, a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Measurement and Research Methods from the University of Arizona. She has been an elementary school teacher, an educational policy researcher, and a school district evaluation and assessment specialist. Her primary areas of research interest include validity analysis, testing as an educational reform lever, evaluation of educational programs for underprivileged children and families, and classroom assessment. She joined the University of Connecticut in 2008.