Sara Mitrano

Sara Mitrano's work focuses on improving teaching and learning outcomes, supporting school and district improvement, and understanding the impact of collaborative efforts. She specializes in conducting qualitative and mixed-methods research and evaluation, including social network analysis, and is skilled in managing large, multi-year projects.

Mitrano conducts interviews, surveys, and document reviews to evaluate the collaborative health of the Defense STEM Education Consortium, a network of organizations focused on strengthening the nation’s STEM workforce. She led a formative evaluation of Growing Inland Achievement’s (GIA) regional collaborative aimed at advancing equity for historically underserved populations in California’s Inland Empire. She also conducted a literature review as part of the evaluation of the Networks for School Improvement (NSI) Initiative, an initiative established to increase the proportion of students who are on track for high school graduation and college enrollment.

Mitrano is the project director for a four-year project funded by the Institute of Education Sciences that explores the high school and postsecondary outcomes of automatic enrollment policies intended to increase access to advanced courses. She also served as the program manager for the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest, a project that partners with educators and policymakers to generate evidence that can inform decisions about policy, programs, and practice.