Nicole Arshan

Nicole Arshan, Ph.D., is a research analyst in the Center for Education Policy at SRI International. She focuses on understanding the effects of educational programs and interventions on student learning and educational equity. Arshan has experience with experimental and quasi-experimental design and analysis, the use of district administrative and survey data, measurement and measurement error, and qualitative data collection and analysis.

Currently, she leads the analysis of student outcomes for ConnectEd’s Linked Learning Initiative, using data from nine California school districts to examine indicators of high school students’ achievement and engagement in career-themed pathways designed to prepare them for college and career. Arshan is also leading a team analyzing the quality of 10 years of evaluations undertaken as part of the National Science Foundation’s Innovative Technologies for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. She also leads outcome evaluations of preschool students for the McKnight Foundation Education and Learning Program and elementary and middle school students enrolled in a blended learning pilot program. Arshan’s past project work at SRI includes a descriptive analysis using student data of the barriers to reclassification for English language learners at two large urban districts.

Before joining SRI, Arshan was at Stanford University’s Center for Education Policy Analysis. There, she participated in an evaluation of the differential effects of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) by student demographics and English language learner status. Arshan also contributed to an analysis of principals’ school resource allocations to the Getting Down to Facts project, a series of papers reviewing education policy and finance in California. Arshan began her career in education in undergraduate admissions at Georgetown University.

Arshan earned her Ph.D. in policy analysis and M.A. in social sciences in education from the Stanford University School of Education. She holds a B.A. in history from The College of William and Mary.