Elaine W. Leigh (she/her) is an associate policy researcher at RAND. Her research broadly examines policies and practices that address inequities in postsecondary and workforce transitions for young adult and adult learners, and especially considers place-based and cross-sector approaches to tackling these challenges. Leigh is a mixed-methods researcher and often focuses on issues of policy implementation at state, institutional, and local levels. Current and prior areas of exploration include: the design and enactment of "free college" policies, K-12 college and career readiness strategies, complex education and workforce cross-sector collaborations, workforce development partnerships with community colleges, work-based learning approaches, and credit for prior learning policies. Her work has been published in Educational Researcher, Research in Higher Education, Equity & Excellence in Education, AERA Open, Education Policy Analysis Archives, and the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, among others.
Leigh’s work in education is heavily influenced by her commitment to advancing educational equity in K-12 and postsecondary settings as a former middle school science teacher, nonprofit college counselor, and board member for human services and education nonprofits in Philadelphia. Before RAND, Leigh was a postdoctoral fellow with Strada Education Foundation's research team, contributing to survey projects on learners' perceptions of their postsecondary and career preparation experiences and helping shape a $4 million community college and employer partnership grant and research initiative. She holds a Ph.D. in higher education and an M.S.Ed. in urban education from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in psychology from the University of Washington.
Ph.D. in higher education, University of Pennsylvania; M.S.Ed. in urban education, University of Pennsylvania; B.A. in psychology, University of Washington
