Elizabeth Steiner

Elizabeth D. Steiner is a policy researcher at RAND with expertise in education policy, policy analysis, program evaluation, and qualitative methods and analysis. She is also a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Steiner's research is focused on ways to improve public education in the United States for teachers and students, reduce racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps, and improve equity of educational and life outcomes.

Her work also addresses implementation of public policy—how systems of rules and incentives intended to encourage behavior toward a desired outcome function in practice, and how policies could be improved to promote desired outcomes. These interests intersect in her work at RAND, which is focused on studying implementation of education reforms and policies. Current research topics include K–12 teacher and principal well-being, working conditions, and the diversity of the educator workforce; personalized and competency-based learning; social and emotional learning; teacher and school leader professional development; and educator evaluation systems. Steiner holds an M.S.P.P.M. in public policy and management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.