Wendy Castillo is a Research Associate at the Research Alliance for New York City Schools. Dr. Castillo has experience with quantitative research methods, including large-scale randomized controlled trials, meta-analysis, cost analysis, and measurement design and validation. Her current work at the Research Alliance focuses on examining important questions about the implementation and impact of Computer Science for All for New York City students, schools, and teachers.
Much of Dr. Castillo’s previous research has focused on K-12 policy, reading motivation, and college access. For her dissertation, she evaluated a kindergarten-integrated STEM literacy curriculum through an i3 IES grant and developed a kindergarten reading motivation instrument to measure the curriculum’s impact.
Prior to joining the Research Alliance, she served as a Data Fellow and Research Analyst at the Overdeck Family Foundation, where she designed a foundation-wide research strategy to strengthen the quality of research grant-making. She also served as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Pennsylvania and the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the Penn Graduate School of Education. During this time, Dr. Castillo conducted a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of college access programs and evaluated the Structured Active In-class Learning program for effective teaching in a higher education setting.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Castillo taught elementary school in Miami-Dade through Teach for America and created an after-school dance club for students in her community. She credits both as being influential experiences in her professional career.
Dr. Castillo studied Education Policy and earned her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a MSEd in Educational and Social Change from the University of Miami and a BA in International Relations from Brown University.