Alyssa Blanchard

Alyssa worked with the Tennessee Department of Education’s Accountability Team. There, she evaluated the Tennessee Focus School Program and its impact on within-school achievement gaps. She assisted in analyzing student test scores for federally-mandated accountability procedures and in refining Tennessee’s plan for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act. Alyssa has also worked as a graduate assistant at the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, where she authored briefs on principal leadership and developed an organizational communications strategy. Hailing from the New Orleans area, Alyssa grew interested in education policy during the post-Katrina shifts in schooling that reshaped the city’s educational landscape. She is passionate about the value of researchers and practitioners working together to improve student experiences and outcomes.