Background:
David Casalaspi is an associate partner at Bellwether in the Policy and Evaluation practice area.
Prior to joining Bellwether in 2024, David spent more than a decade leading work at the intersection of education research, policy, and practice in a variety of nonprofit, academic, and governmental roles.
Recently, he was senior managing director of Research and Insights at Teach For America (TFA). In that role, he led the organization’s research, evaluation, and learning portfolio in the area of community-based education reform and provided policy advising support to TFA-affiliated education leaders across the U.S. Before TFA, David was a senior K-12 policy analyst at the National Governors Association, where he developed and advanced the education agendas of all 55 U.S. governors and facilitated cross-state learning networks linking researchers, practitioners, and governors’ offices around problems of policy and practice.
At other points in his career, David has served as an education researcher in the Institute of Education Sciences within the U.S. Department of Education; as an assistant professor of education at Colby College; and as an education policy adviser to the mayors of Detroit and Charlottesville, Virginia. He currently maintains a research fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. David’s work has spanned numerous K-12 policy topics including school quality and accountability, school choice, community engagement, school climate and safety, educator workforce, and youth civic development, among others.
David holds a Ph.D. in education policy from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Virginia.
Why I do this work:
I believe deeply that schools are our nation’s most vital institution in advancing opportunity, enlivening communities, and helping us live into our democratic values. I have seen firsthand how public policy and community engagement can strengthen education systems and improve people’s lives — I believe research can and should play a major role in improving both of these things. I am excited to support education leaders and community partners through rigorous policy research, analysis, and evaluation in my work.
