Melanie Rucinski

I am a Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where I serve as faculty chair of the Graduate Certificate in Quantitative Research Methods and co-chair of the Evidence foundations course for Ed.M. students. I primarily teach advanced quantitative methods for both Ed.M. and Ph.D. students, including courses on applied linear regression and causal inference.

My research focuses on teacher labor markets and inequality in education. In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MA DESE), I study students’ education and career pathways to inform policies to increase the supply and racial diversity of the teacher workforce. Previously, I studied barriers to racial diversity in Boston exam school admissions. My work on these topics has been featured on WGBH and WBUR and in The Boston Globe.

I hold a PhD in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a BA in Social Studies from Harvard College. Outside of my teaching and research, I can often be found playing piano.