Director of Research Partnerships & Data Initiatives, University of Colorado Boulder
Michelle Reininger grew up in Colorado and graduated from CU with a degree in Biochemistry. Her professional trajectory since CU has included being a teacher, researcher, executive director, rafting guide, playground builder, and a resident fellow in an all frosh residence hall. Michelle comes to the Crown Institute from Stanford University where she spent nearly a decade as a faculty member, the Executive Director of the Stanford Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA), and the co-director of the IES-funded Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Program in Quantitative Education Policy Analysis. Over the years, Michelle’s research has focused on the dynamics of teacher labor markets including preparation, recruitment, and retention which she began while on the faculty at Northwestern University. Michelle received her Ph.D. in the economics of education and an MA in economics from Stanford University and an MA in education policy from the University of Virginia. She has come full circle and returns to Colorado with her husband and their two boys.
Michelle is the Director of Research Partnerships and Data Initiatives at the Crown Institute. She is responsible for establishing, managing, and expanding the Crown Institute Data Core and the partnerships that define the data sources and guide the research conducted. Data Core resources will be provided to advance the research and practice goals of district partners as well as faculty and staff within the Institute. Michelle also participates as a collaborative member of specific research projects to support the strategic goals of the Crown Institute. Finally, she is responsible for contributing to mentoring and building capacity in research partnership and data management/analysis at the Crown Institute.