Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.

Amber Northern is senior vice president for research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where she supervises the Institute’s robust research portfolio and research staff. An authority on academic standards, career and technical education, and charter schools, Northern’s research and commentary have appeared in print media, including National Review, Fox News, Education Week, Kappan, Education Next, and The 74. She has appeared in various broadcast media and nationally syndicated radio, including Fox and Friends, C-SPAN, NPR, The Sam Sorbo Show, The Drew Mariani Show, and The Tony Katz Show. She routinely writes for the Institute’s Education Gadfly Weekly and hosts a research segment on the Education Gadfly Show podcast. Prior to joining Fordham, Northern taught at the University of Virginia, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, and served as senior study director at Westat, where she led multiple research studies involving reading instruction, math and science partnerships, technology, and more. Northern holds a Ph.D. in education policy and evaluation from the University of Virginia, and a M.S. in secondary education from Old Dominion University. She has served in an advisory capacity for various charter schools, federal assessment entities, and state education departments. She currently serves on the Virginia Board of Education. Northern started her career as a high school teacher.