Elena Silva is a senior director of education at New America, where she leads teams of researchers, writers, and policy analysts focused on improving the quality of our public education system. She has held senior policy and research positions at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Education Sector, and the American Association of University Women. She previously managed youth leadership programs for the ASPIRA Association, where she developed and directed one of the first AmeriCorps service programs. Silva holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and a Master of Arts in education and a doctorate in sociology and education policy, both from the University of California, Berkeley.