Jane Barker is a Senior Data Scientist at Seattle Public Schools, where she serves as a technical lead for the district 9th Grade Success Tracker and works with district stakeholders to identify areas of inquiry and develop supporting analyses. She also leads a research study investigating how district teachers and staff members interact with district data platforms and dashboards to identify opportunities for improved usefulness and usability. She has developed machine learning models predicting on-time graduation and college and career readiness, and leveraged causal inference methods to explore factors predicting participation in remote learning platforms. Jane holds a PhD in cognitive psychology and neuroscience from the University of Colorado Boulder, where her research program investigated environmental and genetic influences on children’s developing self-regulation and self-direction. She also holds an MPA in public policy analysis and public finance from Indiana University Bloomington. Prior to her current role, she was a researcher at McREL International and a consulting researcher with the Marsico Institute of Early Learning. When not in the office, Jane prefers to be on a trail - skiing, backpacking, or hiking.
