Shani Bretas

Shani Bretas is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College, Columbia University. Additionally, Shani has worked as a researcher at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) at Teachers College since 2016. Her research interests include examining the sociological conditions that create educational inequality and evaluating policies and programs designed to address inequality, particularly those targeted to reach the technical core of teaching and learning in K-12 schools. At CPRE, Shani assists in conducting mixed-methods evaluations focused on a range of topics including teacher training and retention as well as incorporating educational technologies into the classroom.

Prior to her doctoral studies and joining the CPRE team, Shani spent eight years as a social studies teacher, program assistant, and testing coordinator at a public high school in Brooklyn, New York. She earned a master’s degree in education policy from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in education and history from Vanderbilt University.