principal Education Researcher, SRI Education
Douglas Gagnon, PhD, has a wide array of experience conducting applied research, evaluation, and technical support in education, applying a range of descriptive and causal methodologies to answer questions of relevance. He specializes in supporting efforts related to educator staffing, postsecondary success, rural education, and student access to educational opportunities more broadly.
Gagnon currently serves as the lead of applied research for Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Appalachia. In this role, he works in close partnership with educators across the region, leading numerous projects to conduct research, provide technical support, and disseminate work to broad audiences. Gagnon also has extensive experience conducting program evaluation, and he currently leads mixed-methods evaluations of teacher residency programs.
Prior to joining SRI, Gagnon was a senior researcher at Marzano Research, where he served as the applied research lead for REL Central. He was also previously with the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy, where he conducted research on education policy related to equity, rural schooling, teacher quality, and trends in student discipline. Gagnon served as a data fellow with the Delaware Department of Education through Harvard University’s Strategic Data Project.
Gagnon’s recent work has been published in the Journal of Research in Rural Education, Educational Policy, Phi Delta Kappan, and The Bloomsbury Handbook of Rural Education in the USA. He currently serves on the editorial board of The Rural Educator, the official journal of the National Rural Education Association.
Gagnon holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Ithaca College, a master’s degree in physics education from Cornell University, and a doctorate in education policy from the University of New Hampshire. He is also a What Works Clearinghouse-certified reviewer for group design studies (version 5.0).
Key projects
- Regional Educational Laboratory, Appalachia
- Alder Graduate School of Education Teacher Residency
- Mathematics, 3D Printing, and Computational Thinking Through Work-Based Learning (MPACT): An Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Grant Evaluation
Recent publications
Selected publications
- Advanced Placement and Rural Schools: Access, Success, and Exploring Alternatives *
- State Policy Responses to Ensuring Excellent Educators in Rural Schools *
- The Impact of Career and Technical Education on Postsecondary Outcomes in Nebraska and South Dakota
- Racial/Ethnic Test Score Gaps and the Urban Continuum *
- Rates of Beginning Teachers: Examining One Indicator of School Quality in an Equity Context
