Joan Stamler is a PhD candidate in Education Leadership, Policy and Politics at Teachers College, Columbia University from which she received an M.A. in Developmental Psychology. Her research experience includes work in schools tracing the development of inquiry learning skills among middle grade students and monitoring the development of teachers’ skills in proximal assessment for learner diagnosis as part of a ground-up model for improving student achievement. Her policy interests center on the role of data-based decision making for system improvement and on the development of accurate and actionable tools for measuring critical dimensions of school performance and process, including school climate, to support this goal. Prior to her work in education, Ms. Stamler had an extensive career in business as a senior executive in the media industry, working for companies such as Bertelsmann and SONY. She holds an MBA from New York University and an Sc.B. in Psychology from Brown University.