Education Systems and Policy Expert Megan Austin Named Director of CALDER at the American Institutes for Research

Will lead center to develop timely research to inform policy and practice in K-12 education

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Megan Austin, a veteran education researcher who has worked with numerous states to generate and use evidence to improve student outcomes, has been named the new director of the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER). 

The center, jointly operated by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), partner universities, and a national council of policymakers, uses longitudinal data and rigorous analytic methods to study education policy issues and share evidence with decisionmakers in education, government, advocacy, and philanthropy. Austin, who joined AIR in 2017, is a principal researcher who focuses on improving education systems and policies. 

"CALDER does important work providing real-time evidence on K-12 education to state leaders and policymakers and I can think of no one better to lead the center into the future than Megan Austin," said Julie Kochanek, chief program officer for AIR. "Megan brings to this role a commitment to rigorous methodology and a determination to make sure that evidence is amplified and used to improve outcomes for students across the country."

Founded in 2006, CALDER began as a federally funded research and development center and became an AIR-funded center in 2017. Its researchers and affiliated scholars are national experts on a range of critical issues, and partner with policymakers and state education agencies to develop systematic, quantitative evidence on critical education issues. In recent years, CALDER experts have conducted research on the impact of the pandemic on education; how federal pandemic aid was used; and teacher shortages in key areas. Austin succeeds Dan Goldhaber, who had served as CALDER director since 2011. 

"I look forward to collaborating with the CALDER team and our partners to continue the center's work applying rigorous methods to generate insights into timely, policy-relevant questions," Austin said. "CALDER's commitment to high-quality, empirical research and objectivity makes it a trusted, independent voice in K-12 policy conversations. I look forward to building on the center's reputation as a leading source for high-quality, high-impact education research."

Megan Austin is a principal researcher at AIR, focusing on education systems and policy. She has led research using longitudinal data in partnership with state education agencies across the U.S., including those in Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, Texas, and Washington. Her research has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the National Science Foundation, the ECMC Foundation, and the American Educational Research Association. She recently concluded an IES grant examining strategies for increasing participation in advanced high school courses and is leading and supporting partnerships with multiple states to implement strategies based on evidence generated by the study. 

Austin previously conducted statewide longitudinal research for the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southeast at AIR, served as principal investigator and co-PI for REL Midwest applied research studies, and was quantitative lead for an IES-funded study of developmental education in Texas community colleges. Her research has been published in many journals, including American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, AERA Open, Review of Educational Research, Education Finance and Policy, and Sociology of Education, as well as in several prominent edited volumes. She has also published numerous federal research reports and policy briefs.

Austin holds a Ph.D. and master's degree in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, a master's degree in Humanities from the University of Chicago, and a bachelor's degree in English and American Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

About AIR
Established in 1946, the American Institutes for Research® (AIR®) is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally in the areas of health, education, and the workforce. With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, AIR has offices across the U.S. and abroad. For more information, visit www.air.org. 

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SOURCE American Institutes for Research