Elizabeth Foster
Senior Vice President, Research and Strategy
Elizabeth Foster is the senior vice president of research and strategy at Learning Forward. She leads the organization’s research efforts for partnerships, programs, and fundraising. Elizabeth co-wrote the Standards for Professional Learning (2022) with Tracy Crow and now facilitates learning sessions about the standards and develops resources that support their use and implementation. She contributes to the design, facilitation, and evaluation of networks. Prior to Learning Forward, Elizabeth was the vice president of strategic initiatives at the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future (NCTAF) where she led a major research investigation about educator support systems that resulted in a report entitled What Matters Now (2016) and a successful three-year improvement network with Learning Forward. Her published work includes studies on teacher recruitment, preparation, and professional learning, urban teacher shortages, community college teacher preparation, professional learning communities, and the demographics of the education workforce. Elizabeth started out with an operating foundation in New York City that supported public education innovation projects, then worked in middle school special education in Boston and staffed a research project about inclusion with the Harvard RALLY project. Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her two incredible daughters, as well as other family and friends – especially on the beach.
All Articles
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The research foundation for Standards for Professional Learning
Research has been at the heart of Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning since they were first conceptualized and shared with the field in the 1990s. The standards are built on a decades-long foundation of research literature that describes the ways in which professional learning can improve educator knowledge, skills, […] -
Strengths-based coaching supports teachers during COVID
Two years after the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 continues to take a toll on educators’ morale and well-being. Educators’ needs for sick and bereavement leaves have increased, staffing and substitute shortages are worsening, and the occasional requests to cover another teacher’s class or bus duty have become regular — […] -
Myth-busting research sheds light on what works
Professional learning leaders are sometimes faced with skepticism about the expected impact of an investment in professional learning. Long-held myths and outdated notions about sit-and-get professional learning can act as barriers to thorough planning, appropriate funding, and sustained implementation of professional learning efforts. Dispelling the Myths: What the Research Says […] -
Evaluation shows the impact of a professional learning network
In the spirit of self-reflection for the purposes of improvement, Learning Forward often engages with evaluation partners to look closely at its own efforts to strengthen professional learning through networks and communities of practice. A recent independent evaluation by WestEd of Learning Forward’s What Matters Now Network looked at the […] -
Restorative practices benefit both teachers and students
As awareness has grown about the harmful effects of exclusionary discipline, especially on the Black and Brown students who are disproportionately suspended and expelled, so, too, has interest in alternative approaches to discipline. Restorative practices are becoming more common in schools across the U.S. and in other countries. Restorative practices […] -
What’s next for schools?
The study As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, educators, students, families, and community members are seeking ways to ensure students’ needs are met across a range of academic, social, and emotional considerations. They are also looking ahead to the future, recognizing there may be opportunity for innovation after the last 18 […] -
Study shows the impact of project-based learning
The high school study Saavedra, A.R., Liu Y., Haderlein, S.K., Rapaport, A., Garland, M., Hoepfner, D., Morgan, K.L., & Hu, A. (2021, February 22). Knowledge in Action efficacy study over two years. USC Dornsife Center for Economic and Social Research. The elementary school study Krajcik, J., Schneider, B., Miller, E., […] -
Data inform our progress toward equity
Acting to dismantle structural racial inequities begins with identifying and clearly naming the challenges we face. Data play a powerful role in this process. Several recent publications synthesize data sources, research findings, and expert recommendations to inform and guide equity improvement efforts. They can make a sizable contribution to our […] -
Investing in principals offers big returns for students and schools
The school principal has long been recognized as a critical driver for school improvement and student success, but new research supported by The Wallace Foundation has found that principals have an even greater impact than previously stated. A synthesis of two decades of studies builds on previous research about how […] -
An extraordinary time for innovation
Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at Stanford University and founding president of the Learning Policy Institute, is a longtime leader in education, an expert on professional learning, and an influential researcher and policy advisor. She has been leading President Joe Biden’s education transition team, giving […]
