LEAD - Key Persons
Mark LaPointe has a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Maine and a bachelors degree from Assumption College. After 40 years away, he and his wife have returned to their village of Portland, Maine.
Michelle LaPointe, PhD is a national expert whose research focuses on policies to support authentic learning experiences at all stages of life as well as preparing school leaders to develop effective school programs.
Dr. LaPointe has evaluated programs for federal and state agencies, non-profit organizations, and school districts. She has worked with organizations across the U.S.: from the deep South to the Northeast to California. These projects have taken Dr. LaPointe to such diverse settings as the Caribbean, New York City, small towns in New England, urban centers in the Southeast and California, and Native American reservations. While most of her work focuses on education, she also participated in the national evaluation of the Head Start program, the evaluation of the welfare-to-work program in Louisiana, and alcohol and other drug prevention programs for youth. As an analyst at the U.S. Department of Education, she coordinated national evaluations of public school choice initiatives, the comprehensive school reform, and programs for English Language Learners.
Dr. LaPointe has served as the Research Director at both Stanford's Education Leadership Institute and Lesley University's Center for Reading Recovery and Literacy Collaborative. She was also a research manager at the Regional Educational Laboratory for the Northeast & Island and an education specialist at the U.S. Department of Education's Planning and Evaluation Service. Through these roles, Dr. LaPointe gained extensive experience translating research to decision-makers and practitioners to support the implementation of effective programs.
Michelle LaPointe and Jason Wingard are the authors of Learning for Life: How Continuous Education Will Keep Us Competitive in the Global Economy. She is also a co-author, with Linda Darling Hammond of Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World: Lessons from Effective School Leadership Development Programs.
Michelle LaPointe has a PhD in Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Masters in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, and a bachelors degree in History and Romance Languages from Bowdoin College. She brings a passion for improving the lives of children to her research in support of schools. Her work is further shaped by her childhood experiences living in Africa and the Caribbean.