Lynn Newman

Lynn Newman, Ed.D., is a senior education researcher in the Center for Education and Human Services at SRI International. She has more than 30 years of experience in education and social science research in the disability policy and human services fields. Her extensive expertise includes both quantitative and qualitative methodologies and large-scale, multifaceted longitudinal studies.

Newman is director of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), a 10-year study assessing the secondary school programs, experiences, and achievements of a nationally representative sample of more than 11,000 students with disabilities. NLTS2 is documenting the transition experiences and young-adult achievements of these youth in postsecondary education, employment, social adjustment, and independent living. Newman had been responsible for leading the data collection activities and is currently leading data analysis and reporting. She was centrally involved in the design of the study, including the development of the overall design, data collection systems and procedures, and all instrumentation.

Previously, Newman served as data collection task leader for the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS), a six-year study of almost 12,000 students receiving special education in more than 300 school districts nationwide. She was co-director of a study focusing on family involvement in and satisfaction with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s special education processes for the Office of the Independent Monitor. She also was co-director of a multi-method study of the system, services, and outcomes of school-linked services for children with disabilities and their families.

Newman has made significant contributions to important policy issues in special education, authoring numerous reports and papers on various aspects of outcomes for students and youth with disabilities. She also is a frequent presenter at national professional conferences.

Newman earned her Ed.D. in education leadership, with a focus on family involvement, from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California.

Key projects

• An Examination of School-Linked Services for Students with Disabilities
• National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS)
• National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2)
• Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS)