Jennifer Ash
Director, Policy-Aligned Research Agenda Building Lab (PARABL)
Dr. Jennifer Ash is the director of the Policy-Aligned Research Agenda Building Lab (PARABL) at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. PARABL builds partnerships with state education agencies across the country, working with education systems leaders to develop roadmaps of research questions aligned with large-scale systems change.
Through this work, Dr. Ash helps education policymakers in multiple states identify and pursue the evidence they need to improve student outcomes. Dr. Ash brings deep experience at the intersection of education research and policy. Most recently, she served as director of the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks (NCRERN) at Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, where she led work with more than 100 rural districts nationwide to improve student attendance and college and career readiness through data and evidence.
Earlier in her career, Dr. Ash held research leadership roles at Abt Associates and served as managing director of the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas. She also founded Edify Research and Strategy, an education research firm that helps clients advance student success, and has served as a visiting fellow at Saint Louis University’s PRiME Center since 2025.
Education
PhD, Education Policy, University of Arkansas
BA, Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
Research
Barr Foundation. Policy-Aligned Research Agenda Building Lab. Ash, J. (P.I.)
Selected Publications
Swanson, E., Thompson, S., Ash, J., Didriksen, H., Kane, T. J., Staiger, D. O., & Sanbonmatsu, L. (2026). Lifting Up Attendance in Rural Districts: A Multi-Site Trial of a Personalized Messaging Campaign. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737261438143
Ash, J., Swanson, E., & Ritter, G. (2021). A promise kept? The impact of the El Dorado Promise scholarship on student achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(1), 83–107. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720970512
Ritter, G. W., & Ash, J. (2016). The promise of a college scholarship transforms a district. Phi Delta Kappan, 97(5), 13-19.
Selected Presentations
Ash, J. (November 2024). The power of rural partnerships to support policy, advocacy, & funding. Panel discussion. National Forum to Advance Rural Education, Savannah, GA.
Thompson, S., Didriksen, H., & Ash, J. (September 2024). The effects of automated personalized messages on rural student attendance: Evidence from a student-level randomization control trial. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Baltimore, MD.
Ash, J., Hammond, S., & Lee, S. (July 2024). Supporting partners and research: Strategies for successful implementation data collection. National Network for Education Research-Practice Partnerships, Richmond, VA.
Ash, J., Solowski, K., & Thompson, S. (April 2024). Making data actionable: Generating & using rural evidence for continuous improvement. Rural Summit, Lexington, KY.
Ash, J. (June 2023). Empowering Rural Districts with Data and Evidence: Lessons from the National Center for Rural Education Research Networks. Presented to the U.S. Department of Education Rural Strategy and Action Team.
Swanson, E., Solowski, K, Ash, J., Kaplan, D., Sanbonmatsu, L., Staiger, D., & Kane, T. (March 2023). Estimating the Effectiveness of Personalized Messages at Reducing Student Absences: Experimental Evidence from a Rural School Network. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, Denver, CO.
Swanson, E., Solowski, K, Ash, J., Kaplan, D., Sanbonmatsu, L., Staiger, D., & Kane, T. (November 2022). Estimating the Effectiveness of Personalized Messages at Reducing Student Absences: Experimental Evidence from a Rural School Network. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Washington, D.C.
Ash, J., Dvorak, K., & Schaefer, L. (April 2022). Rural North Dakota and Community Support Services. Panel Discussion at the Hunt Institute North Dakota Legislators Retreat, Bismarck, ND.
Ash, J., Gable, A., Gross, B., Nicola, T., & Opalka, A. (April 2021). How Did Rural School Districts Fare Providing Access to Remote Learning During School Closures? Presented at the annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, Virtual.
Ash, J., Baloch, S., Kaplan, D., Kieninger, K., Sanbonmatsu, L., & Solowski, K. (March 2021). Every Day Counts Everywhere: Examining Attendance Trends Across Rural and Urban Settings. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, Virtual.
Ash, J.W., Nichols, A., Villareal, M., Beach, A. & Collier, D. (March 2018). What is the Impact of a First-year Experience Course and Mentoring Program on Early Postsecondary Outcomes? Experimental evidence from the Broncos FIRST program. Presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, Portland, OR.
Norton, J., Ballinger, S. & Ash, J. (March 2017). History-Social Studies Public Survey and Cross-State Analysis Results. Presented at the History-Social Science Review Panel Meeting, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Devens, MA. Ash, J. W. & Ritter, G.W. (February 2015).
Estimating the Impact of the El Dorado Promise on K-12 Achievement and High School Graduation. Accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for Education Finance and Policy, Washington, D.C.