My passion is to promote the use of evidence to improve the lives of children, especially those who are in most need of help.  In my fifteen years in the education policy and research field, I’ve found that there is often a disconnect between practitioners, researchers, advocates, and decisionmakers.  I aim to help bridge that gap by creating and synthesizing research evidence, and by building tools to allow stakeholders to weigh the costs and benefits of various policy options. I am especially passionate about protecting our youngest children.  Research clearly demonstrates how important the earliest years are for future outcomes and economic progress.  My goal is to engage in this work in my local community, at the state and national levels, and around the world in order to make the case for smart investments in children. I live in Longmont, Colorado with my wife, invitation designer, and chef extraordinaire Lisa, and my two beautiful daughters, Nina, 4, and Lilah, 1, who have taught me first hand more than I ever imagined I would need to know about early childhood development.  When not creating early childhood cost models, geeking out in Excel, or blogging, I love running, making and listening to music, and travelling anywhere and everywhere. Download my C.V.  | View Recent Reports and Publications