Sara Mead

Sara Mead

Board Member

Managing Director, Afton Partners

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
Beyond the Mold: Equipping Authorizers to Evaluate Innovative Schools
By David Greenberg and Jason Zwara Raising the Bar on Accountability Last year, we made several important updates to our state policy recommendations. These changes were critical to accountability in...
NACSA Statement on Rhode Island Charter School Moratorium
NACSA is calling on Governor McKee to protect both families’ access to high-quality public schools. and the integrity of Rhode Island’s charter school system by vetoing legislation that would impose...
NACSA Supports Three Federal Bills to Modernize CSP and Help Strengthen Authorizing
The U.S. Department of Education’s Charter Schools Program (CSP) has supported the growth of the charter school sector for more than 30 years. Despite significant changes in the charter sector—especially...