Olivia Lutwak is a former educator and policy researcher who believes wholeheartedly in the transformative power of education and in centring student voice. Her research aims to determine the effects of increased school safety procedures in the wake of gun violence on student well-being and perceptions of education in U.S. schools.
As a first grade teacher in Chicago, Olivia saw firsthand the consequences of gun violence and policing in schools on young children. The children she taught are at the centre of how she approaches her research.
As a research analyst, she primarily worked for the U.S. Department of Education, conducting quantitative and qualitative research and providing technical assistance to states on topics such as culturally relevant math teaching for students on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, elementary writing instruction, teacher apprenticeship programs, student social-emotional well-being, and states’ interpretations of Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Olivia holds both an MA in Public Policy and an MAT in Elementary Education.