Sara Mead

Sara Mead

Board Chair

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
New Charter Schools Need Vetting. But the Process Shouldn’t Shut Good Ones Out
Over the last year, the National Association of Charter School Authorizers and our partners engaged nearly 150 school leaders, authorizers, organizations, prospective school founders and advocates — through interviews, focus...
NACSA’s New Schools With Communities Guide
In every community–especially those historically under-resourced–there is long-ignored and underutilized knowledge and potential. At the heart of NACSA’s work lies the recognition of these tremendous assets and a desire to...
Continuing Conversations on Multiple Measures
At NACSA, we work to ensure students and communities—especially those who are historically under-resourced—thrive. Thriving means different things for different students, schools, and communities. And to ensure we capture the...