As an applied economist and policy researcher, Matthew provides strategic and technical advisory and leadership services to public and private educational agencies and organizations, including research firms, philanthropic organizations, and educational technology companies. Matthew’s areas of expertise include the economics of education, research and evaluation, statistical and econometric methods, education finance and policy, and cost-effectiveness methods and analysis.
Recent Consulting Engagements
CoLab
(At The Constellation Fund)
As an expert research consultant with CoLab, a non-profit organization that aims to bolster upward mobility and thriving communities by funding and supporting actionable, longitudinal research on programs, practices, and their effects, Matthew is stewarding the organization’s sourcing and development of novel longitudinal impact evaluations under its early elementary school success priority area. Through his leadership, Matthew guides the pipeline of impact evaluations from initial landscape review through full proposal recommendation to identify a slate of investment-ready grants for CoLab to fund.
The Constellation Fund and Foundation for Educational Research (FERD) launched CoLab in 2023 to create actionable evidence on program and policy solutions that bolster upward mobility for children, youth, and families.
Center on Reinventing Public Education
As an external policy and evaluation advisor, Matthew led CRPE's working group on school budgets and education finance, convening and leading a panel of national experts in education policy and research. With Matthew's guidance, the panel identified and scoped out a research agenda to inform CRPE's efforts to support pandemic recovery in K-12 public education and to advance evidence-based solutions to address student learning loss in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
The Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) is a research organization at Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation, where transformative ideas are rigorously examined and tested, and research informs action.
Chicago Public Schools
As an external academic research partner, Matthew advised district leaders on the design of Chicago’s educator evaluation system in an effort to more equitably rate and evaluate teacher performance and on policy efforts to improve student outcomes through teacher evaluation and professional development.
In the past five years, the district has emerged as a beacon of what is achievable for large urban school districts. Their mission is to provide a high-quality public education for every child, in every neighborhood, that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.
Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Mid-Atlantic
As a Subject Matter Expert (SME) and former member of the Technical Working Group (TWG), Matthew reviews and provides feedback on all stages of REL products, including research proposals and draft research reports, providing technical advice on the design and content of applied research and training, coaching and technical support for evidence use and applied research. Matthew is currently advising the REL on its work to support high-quality career and technical education (CTE) opportunities for all students by working with the Delaware Department of Education to develop an evidence-based, consistent way to understand and use CTE data.
Regional Educational Lab (REL) Mid-Atlantic partners with key stakeholders in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania to develop evidence that can inform consequential decisions about policy, programs, and practice.
Leading Educators
As a member of the Evaluation Advisory Board (EAB), Matthew advised Leading Educators on its Teacher Practice Measurement Project which aims to build empirical evidence on how improvements in content-specific teacher practice in math and English Language Arts impact student learning. Matthew also advises Leading Educators on its internal impact evaluations designed to estimate the effect of teacher leadership training on student academic achievement.
Leading Educators helps visionary leaders and educators strengthen learning today and design the experiences students will need tomorrow, backed by one of the strongest records of impact in the field.
Pennsylvania Dept. of Education
As an external academic research partner, Matthew provided technical guidance and consultation to state leaders on a range of policy issues, including: the distribution and mobility of educator human capital across Pennsylvania’s charter and traditional public schools; the impact of principal professional development on teacher and student outcomes; the effect of teacher strikes on student achievement and teacher labor market outcomes; the alignment between students’ reports of bullying experiences and data Pennsylvania collects from school districts; and the frequency, distribution and factors associated with student reports of bullying incidents.
The mission of the Department of Education is to ensure that every learner has access to a world-class education system that academically prepares children and adults to succeed as productive citizens. Further, the Department seeks to establish a culture that is committed to improving opportunities throughout the commonwealth.
Consulting
Virginia Board of Education
As an external academic partner, Matthew provided technical and policy advice to state leaders, including the state Superintendent and Board of Education members, on the design and impact of educator evaluation systems in an effort to improve the validity, equity and efficacy of evaluation efforts across all Virginia schools.
The mission of the Board of Education is to develop policies and provide leadership that improve student achievement and prepare students to succeed in postsecondary education and the workplace, and to become engaged and enlightened citizens.
Virginia Dept. of Education
As an external academic partner and member of the 25-person Planning Committee for the Virginia Longitudinal Data System (VLDS), Matthew provided technical and policy guidance to support the development of Virginia’s policy-oriented and equity-focused research agenda for the VLDS.