Ashley Woo (she/her) is an assistant policy researcher at RAND and a Ph.D. student at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research interests include educational equity, supporting the learnings experiences of students from historically minoritized groups, educator recruitment and retention, the diversity of the educator workforce, social and emotional learning, and instructional systems that support teaching and learning.
Her recent work at RAND has focused on the policies and practices that enhance educator well-being and retention, the characteristics of coherent instructional systems, and the impacts of political polarization on educators’ working conditions and instructional practices.
Prior to joining Pardee RAND, Woo was an elementary school teacher. She has a B.A. in political economy and a minor in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Selected Publications
Woo, Ashley, Sabrina Lee, Andrea Prado Tuma, Julia H. Kaufman, Rebecca Ann Lawrence, and Nastassia Reed, Walking on Eggshells—Teachers' Responses to Classroom Limitations on Race- or Gender-Related Topics: Findings from the 2022 American Instructional Resources Survey, RAND Corporation (RR-A134-16), 2023
Woo, Ashley, Rebecca L. Wolfe, Elizabeth D. Steiner, Sy Doan, Rebecca Ann Lawrence, Lisa Berdie, Lucas Greer, Allyson D. Gittens, and Heather L. Schwartz, Walking a Fine Line—Educators' Views on Politicized Topics in Schooling: Findings from the State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys, RAND Corporation (RR-A1108-5), 2022
Woo, Ashley, Rebecca Ann Lawrence, Sy Doan, and Julia H. Kaufman, A Snapshot of Anti-Bias Education in U.S. K–12 Schools: Findings from the 2021 American Instructional Resources Surveys, RAND Corporation (RR-A134-12), 2022
Steiner, Elizabeth D., Ashley Woo, Job-Related Stress Threatens the Teacher Supply: Key Findings from the 2021 State of the U.S. Teacher Survey, RAND Corporation (RR-A1108-1), 2021
Steiner, Elizabeth D., Sy Doan, Ashley Woo, Allyson D. Gittens, Rebecca Ann Lawrence, Lisa Berdie, Rebecca L. Wolfe, Lucas Greer, and Heather L. Schwartz, Restoring Teacher and Principal Well-Being Is an Essential Step for Rebuilding Schools: Findings from the State of the American Teacher and State of the American Principal Surveys, RAND Corporation (RR-A1108-4), 2022
Woo, Ashley, Elizabeth D. Steiner, The Well-Being of Secondary School Principals One Year into the COVID-19 Pandemic, RAND Corporation (RR-A827-6), 2022
Herman, Rebecca, Ashley Woo, Elaine Lin Wang, Susan M. Gates, Tiffany Berglund, Jonathan Schweig, Megan Andrew, and Ivy Todd, Redesigning University Principal Preparation Programs: A Systemic Approach for Change and Sustainability — Full Report (Volume 3, Part 1), RAND Corporation (RR-A413-3), 2022
Wrabel, Stephani L., Susan Bush-Mecenas, and Ashley Woo, Seeking Balance in the Provision of Technical Assistance: Insights from the National Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety, RAND Corporation (RR-A1161-1), 2021