Kerstin Carlson Le Floch

Kerstin Carlson Le Floch specializes in state accountability policies, school improvement, and English learners. With nearly 25 years at AIR, Dr. Le Floch has directed a wide portfolio of projects at the federal, state, and local levels. Dr. Le Floch was the principal investigator on two recent studies of ESSA accountability, The Impact of CSI Designation in Multiple Measure ESSA Accountability Systems and the Study of Schools Identified for Comprehensive Supports Under ESSA, both funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education. 

Dr. Le Floch directed the Study of School Turnaround for IES, a large-scale case study investigation of the implementation of the School Improvement Grants under ARRA. This study produced six IES publications, including a rigorous case study report of SIG implementation. 

From 2003–08, Dr. Le Floch directed the Study of State Implementation of Accountability and Teacher Quality under NCLB, and the National Longitudinal Study of No Child Left Behind. Together, these two studies constituted the primary data sources for the Congressionally mandated National Assessment of Title I. For these studies, Dr. Le Floch was a lead or primary author on six reports on key components of NCLB. 

In addition to national studies, Dr. Le Floch has conducted studies of accountability and support for low-performing schools on behalf of individuals states. Most recently, Dr. Le Floch was principal investigator on a study of Ohio’s statewide system of support. In addition, Dr. Le Floch directed a mixed-method evaluation of Michigan’s statewide system of support for high priority schools, and has conducted research on the California state system of accountability and school supports.

Dr. Le Floch also has substantial experience in studies related to English learners and literacy. She directed the second national evaluation of Title III, the component of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act focused on English learners, building on her experience in the prior national study. Both studies included ground-breaking analyses of accountability for English learners. Dr. Le Floch also contributed to a study of the implementation of the Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy grant for IES.

Complementing her federal and state evaluation work, Dr. Le Floch is principal investigator on an evaluation of the district transformation of Battle Creek Public Schools, in Michigan. Through a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek Public Schools sought to implement comprehensive reforms to improve instruction, school climate, organizational culture, student attendance, and student outcomes. AIR is currently in the second five-year engagement with the district. 

Dr. Le Floch also directed a Gates Foundation-funded study of state supports for low-performing high schools. In 2015, Dr. Le Floch was the research director for a project on behalf of New York City Public Schools, for which AIR staff conducted needs assessments of the 100 lowest-performing schools in the city.

Prior to joining AIR, Dr. Le Floch worked with the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), collecting data on state assessment and accountability policies under the Improving America’s Schools Act. Dr. Le Floch presents regularly at national and international conferences, provides expert testimony, and has published technical reports, book chapters, blogs, and journal articles on issues related to accountability and school improvement.