Carrie Parker
MLRC Research Director
Caroline (Carrie) E. Parker, Ed.D., leads research and technical assistance to improve learning for culturally and linguistically diverse students, with a particular interest in how language learning intersects with disabilities. She co-designs her research and technical assistance through an equity lens, recognizing the important opportunity for research to both reveal or hide inequities and opportunities for change.
Carrie’s work in educational research has spanned more than 20 years. In addition to working directly with district and state educators to better understand learning and outcomes for multilingual learners and students with disabilities, Carrie has worked with both the Regional Educational Laboratories and the Regional Comprehensive Centers programs, designing research and technical assistance to meet the needs of students and educators. This has included working with state leaders to re-envision their statewide English learner programs and looking at district practices to improve learning experiences for multilingual learners who may have learning disabilities. Carrie's work with students with disabilities includes multiple district reviews of special education programs as well as federally funded studies of programs for students with disabilities across K-12. She has led research studies funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Science Foundation (NSF), examining the impact of a literacy intervention on reading levels of students with significant cognitive disabilities and the role of an innovative program providing students with intellectual disabilities access to college courses, among others. She has also received funding from the Hewlett and Schusterman Foundations to better understand culturally sustaining teaching practices.
Carrie received a BA in English literature from Williams College, an MEd from Framingham State College, and EdM and EdD degrees in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previous to her career as an education researcher, she worked in Nicaragua as an educator, journalist and translator.
