Laurel Sipes

Laurel Sipes joined the Gardner Center in 2013 and currently serves as a Senior Research Associate. She leads a range of research projects with school districts and communities in the Bay Area and across California and co-leads the Gardner Center's Youth Action Research Fellowship. Laurel’s work is driven by questions about equitable access to quality educational and out-of-school experiences, achievement and opportunity gaps, and the broader context in which young people and their families live. She is also dedicated to building the capacity of communities and organizations to plan and use data. Laurel is committed to creating and implementing research work in partnership with communities. Prior to joining the Gardner Center, Laurel worked in education research at MPR Associates, Inc. Laurel earned an MPP from the University of California, Berkeley and a BA in History from the University of California, Los Angeles.