Megan Silander leads national initiatives and studies that generate new insights into effective pre-K–12 education policies and programs. Currently, she is leading the Center for Advancing Elementary Science through Assessment, Research, and Technology (CAESART) at EDC, an initiative that is generating innovative ways to understand children’s science learning and applying this new knowledge to improving elementary science education.

Silander has extensive expertise in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research; descriptive, experimental, and quasi-experimental methods; and use of large-scale administrative and telemetry data. In addition to leading CAESART, her research focuses on media, technology, and learning. She has co-led National Science Foundation-funded initiatives, and has conducted research on Ready To Learn, a U.S. Department of Education-supported initiative that examines how media can foster family engagement in learning and improve the school readiness of preschool children.

Silander is a widely published author and presents her findings at national conferences and forums.

Silander holds a PhD in Education Policy from Columbia University, an EdM in International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a BA in Linguistics from Pomona College.