Sara Mead

Sara Mead

Board Member

Assistant Superintendent of Early Learning, DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education

As a partner with Bellwether Education Partners, Sara leads Bellwether’s early childhood work across both our policy and strategic advising teams. Since joining Bellwether in 2010, she has written and conducted policy analysis on early childhood education, charter schools, teacher quality, and state and federal education policy issues and has provided strategic advising support to foundations, advocacy organizations, and early childhood operators. Her work has been featured in media outlets including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Slate, and USA Today, and she is a regular contributor to U.S. News & World Report’s Knowledge Bank vertical. Before joining Bellwether, Sara directed the New America Foundation’s Early Education Initiative. She has also worked for Education Sector, the Progressive Policy Institute, and the U.S. Department of Education. From September 2009-July 2017 she served on the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board, which authorizes charter schools in Washington, D.C. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Vanderbilt University.


Most Recent Posts
How to Build an Inclusive Workforce Culture: Let the Data Drive You
FOURTH IN A SERIES In our rapidly evolving world, fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within organizations has become more than a moral imperative. It’s also a strategic necessity.  However,...
Fort Worth ISD: Partnerships & Accountability
Guest blog written by David Saenz, Ed.D. The March 2024 episode of Community Conversations with NACSA told the story of Fort Worth Independent School District’s Leadership Academy Network, a unique...
DEI Deconstructed: Using the Power You Have
THIRD IN A SERIES In Chapter 5 of Lily Zheng’s book, DEI Deconstructed: Your No-Nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing It Right, they start the chapter by recounting...