Agora Research Academy
Federal Education Data Is Learnable. We’ll Show You How.
The federal education data system is vast — hundreds of surveys, administrative databases, longitudinal studies, and analytical tools built over decades to help researchers, journalists, educators, and policymakers understand American education. It can feel overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be.
Agora Research Academy offers professional training designed to make federal education data accessible, navigable, and useful — no matter where you’re starting from.
Our faculty bring something no other training program can offer: they are the researchers, statisticians, and data experts who spent decades at NCES and IES building and stewarding the data systems you want to learn. They know what the data can do, where it falls short, and how to use it well.
Courses range from foundational concepts in education research and statistics to deep dives on specific NCES data programs, tools, and methodologies. Webinars offer live, focused sessions on timely topics. All of it is practical, grounded, and built for people who do real work with education data.
Browse upcoming courses and events below — and meet the faculty who will guide you.
Agora Research Academy Webinar : Lost in Transit: When Education Data Doesn't Travel
Data that arrives after the decision has been made is no data at all.
Four people who see the education data system from different vantage points — a district-facing researcher, a state policy director, a national association head, and a longtime NCES insider — trace what happens to information as it travels from classrooms to statehouses to Washington, and where it goes missing along the way.
Free · 1 hr 20 min · Recorded July 14, 2026
Agora Research Academy Webinar : Mining NCES Data to Answer Questions
Collections discontinued. Staff gone. Websites reorganized.
If you rely on NCES data, the past two years have made it harder than ever to know what still exists and where to find it. Tom Snyder spent decades building these systems from the inside. In one hour he maps what's gone, what remains, and how to reach it — and hands you a cheat sheet to keep.
Free · 1 hr 13 min · Recorded April 30, 2026
Upcoming Courses
Enrolling soon:
- Introduction to IPEDS
- Introduction to NAEP
- Introduction to International Studies: PISA
- Introduction to the Middle Grades Longitudinal Study
All courses are taught by former NCES and IES researchers.
Free on YouTube
New to federal education data? Start with our free video series before you enroll.
Agora Essentials — foundational concepts every data user should know:
- How We Do Education Research
- Statistics Overview for Education Data
- Variables: Building Blocks of Research Data
What Is…? — plain-language introductions to key datasets:
- What Is IPEDS?
- What is CIPSEA?
- More coming soon
Faculty
Alka Arora, Ph.D.
Associate
- Survey & Program Areas:ICILS, International Studies, NAEP, PIRLS, PISA, TIMSS
- Services:Data Analysis, Reporting, Test and Survey
Anindita Sen, Ph.D.
Affiliate
- Experience:Dr. Anindita Sen is a senior researcher with over two decades of experience leading the U.S. implementation of PISA — the global assessment of student literacy conducted across 80+ countries — including data analysis, report writing, and high-visibility media briefings. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from NYU and has authored numerous NCES publications on international and comparative education data.
- Survey & Program Areas:International Studies, PISA
- Services:Data Analysis, Reporting, Test and Survey
Thomas Snyder
Associate
- Experience:Tom Snyder spent decades as Director of Annual Reports and Information Staff at NCES, where he directed analyses, authored nearly 100 reports and papers, and became an internationally recognized expert on education indicators. He knows the full NCES data landscape — administrative, survey, and longitudinal — from the inside out.
- Survey & Program Areas:CCD, International Studies, IPEDS, National Studies, NTPS, Post-secondary
- Services:Project Leadership, Reporting, State and District
Samantha Burg, Ph.D.
Affiliate
- Experience:Dr. Samantha Burg spent 15 years at NCES directing technical processes for NAEP and PISA, including item development, psychometric review, and high-level data releases advising the Secretary's Office. She also taught graduate statistics at George Washington University for a decade, making her equally skilled at both the science and the teaching of educational measurement.
- Survey & Program Areas:ICILS, International Studies, NAEP, PIRLS, PISA, TIMSS
- Services:Data Analysis, Project Leadership, Reporting, State and District, Test and Survey
Linda Hamilton, M.A.
Associate
- Experience:Linda Hamilton spent over a decade at NCES leading U.S. data collection for international assessments including ICILS and overseeing the NAEP High School Transcript Studies. With deep expertise in federal statistics, contract management, and data dissemination, she has briefed Congressional offices, the Secretary of Education, and the White House on study findings.
- Survey & Program Areas:High School, ICILS, International Studies, Middle Grades, NAEP
- Services:Data Analysis, Reporting, State and District
Shannon Russell, Ph.D.
Associate
- Experience:Dr. Shannon Russell provided expert technical support for NCES longitudinal studies for over a decade, including MGLS:2017, HS&B:22, and ECLS-K, leading assessment development and managing up to 150 deliverables per year across studies with 18,000+ cases. She has trained data users at AERA and other national conferences on working with complex longitudinal datasets.
- Survey & Program Areas:Early Childhood, Elementary School, High School, Middle Grades
- Services:Data Analysis, Reporting, Test and Survey
Jodi Jacobson Chernoff, Ph.D.
Associate
- Experience:Dr. Jodi Jacobson Chernoff is a principal education researcher specializing in early childhood, with deep experience directing the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) and representing U.S. perspectives in shaping the International Early Learning Study. Her work spans federal, state, and philanthropic partners, translating rigorous research into policy-relevant insights.
- Survey & Program Areas:Early Childhood, Elementary School, International Studies, National Studies, State-level Studies
- Services:Project Leadership, Reporting, State and District, Test and Survey
Lisa Kessler, M.Ed.
Associate
- Experience:Lisa Kessler is an education research analyst with extensive experience in large-scale national studies, specializing in school recruitment, stakeholder engagement, and navigating complex federal approval processes. She brings a practical, data-driven perspective to making research accessible and actionable.
- Survey & Program Areas:High School, ICILS, International Studies, Middle Grades, National Studies, State-level Studies, TIMSS
- Services:Project Leadership, Reporting, State and District, Test and Survey
Maura Spiegelman, Ph.D.
Associate
- Survey & Program Areas:NTPS
- Services:Data Analysis, Reporting
Shelley Burns
Associate
- Experience:Shelley Burns is a mathematical statistician with over 30 years of federal experience at NCES and IES. She chaired the IES Disclosure Review Board, developed statistical disclosure limitation procedures for IES data products, and co-edited the NCES Handbook of Survey Methods — the definitive guide to federal education survey methodology.
- Services:Data Analysis, Project Leadership, Reporting
David Richards, Ph.D.
Affiliate
- Experience:Dr. David Richards spent a decade at NCES as project officer for the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS), overseeing data collections of nearly 25,000 students across 1,500 institutions and managing contracts worth up to $76 million. He brings deep hands-on expertise in postsecondary data systems including NPSAS, BPS, Baccalaureate and Beyond, and IPEDS.
- Survey & Program Areas:IPEDS, National Studies, Post-secondary
- Services:Data Analysis, Project Leadership, Reporting
Carolyn Grim, Ph.D.
Founder, Board of Directors
- Experience:Dr. Carolyn Grim served 15 years as an Education Statistician at NCES, where she directed major longitudinal assessment programs, co-led development of the NCES Psychometric Standards, and served as a Contracting Officer's Representative. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Agora Education Research.
- Survey & Program Areas:Middle Grades, National Studies
- Services:Data Analysis, Project Leadership, Reporting, Test and Survey
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