Jennifer McCombs is vice president and director, Global Research Talent and a senior policy researcher at RAND. Her research focuses on evaluating the extent to which public policies and programs improve outcomes for children and youth facing disadvantage. Her studies combine implementation and outcome data to provide practitioners and policymakers guidance on how to improve programs and promote positive outcomes. McCombs has extensive experience leading complex, multi-site evaluations that involve substantial stakeholder engagement and district-community partnerships. For instance, she led a longitudinal study of five urban districts’ summer learning programs. The study included a randomized controlled trial, extensive implementation data collection and analyses, and formative guidance to districts and their community partners.
Over the course of her career, McCombs has studied how to improve teacher effectiveness (through professional development, teacher training, and incentives); whether literacy coaching improves student reading outcomes; the development of systems for out-of-school-time programs; the implementation and impact of test-based promotion policies; and the effects of federal accountability policies on schools, classrooms, and students. She is a frequent advisor on summer and after school and served as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Summertime Experiences and Child and Adolescent Education, Health, and Safety; the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) Technical Work Group; the National Summer Learning Association Research Advisory Committee; and Horizon’s National Research Advisory Group. She earned her Ph.D. in public policy from The George Washington University.
Ph.D. in public policy, The George Washington University; B.A. in East Asian studies, College of William and Mary
