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As a Senior Research Fellow until early 2010, Sara Mead conducted research and writes about early childhood and elementary and secondary education, with a particular focus on state and federal policy issues including preschool, PreK-3^rd education reform, the No Child Left Behind Act, federal education funding, charter schools and public school choice. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Washington Post, New York Times, and USA Today, and she has appeared on CBS and ABC News and on NPR. Before joining New America, Ms. Mead was a senior policy analyst with Education Sector. She has also worked for the Progressive Policy Institute, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Gore 2000 presidential campaign. Ms. Mead serves on the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board, which authorizes charter schools in the District of Columbia and holds them accountable for results, and on the board of Democrats for Education Reform. The daughter, granddaughter, and sister of public school educators, she holds a bachelor's degree in public policy from Vanderbilt University.