Provides services and technical assistance for students so they benefit from research-based curricula taught in safe environments.

Produces and disseminates information to provide motivation and tools to enable individuals to make informed decisions about health issues.

Develops and implements education testing programs that benefit students, parents and public officals.

Works with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the government's primary source for collecting and analyzing data about public education.

Helps to provide all children with access to a quality education, and empowers people, organizations, and communities to bring about social change.

Is committed to helping clients improve the effectiveness of their workforce through a wide range of management, organizational, and business improvement efforts.

Jennifer O'Day, Ph.D.

Managing Research Scientist

Jennifer O’Day is a Managing Research Scientist and policy analyst in the Education Program of the American Institutes for Research. She holds a Master’s degree in teaching English as a Second language and a Ph.D. from Stanford University in Education Policy. Dr. O’Day has carried out research and written extensively in the areas of systemic standards-based reform, educational equity, and capacity building strategies. She has served on several national advisory groups, including the Congressionally mandated Independent Review Panel for the National Assessment of Title I (1994-2000), the Stanford Working Group on Federal Programs for Limited English Proficient Students, and more recently the Education Commission of the State’s National Forum on Accountability. She has co-authored reports for the National Council on Educational Standards and Testing (NCEST) and the National Academy of Education and has advised policy makers at federal, state, and district levels on issues and strategies related to standards-based reform. Much of Dr. O’Day’s recent research has centered on accountability policies and school improvement efforts, particularly in high poverty, low-performing schools. In this vein, Dr. O’Day has served as Principal Investigator/Project Director for a series of national, state, and district studies, covering such topics as Title I accountability under both IASA and NCLB, the implementation and effects of California’s Public School Accountability Act of 1999, and district interventions in low performing schools in Chicago and San Diego. Dr. O’Day is currently leading a four-year investigation of the effects of site-based leadership and professional learning opportunities on instructional practices and student achievement in San Diego City Schools.