Ellen B. Mandinach, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist Emeritus, WestEd
“One can hope that if students, educators, and citizens are data literate, more decisions will be made soundly, based on evidence rather than on disinformation, misinformation, anecdotes, and gut feelings.”
Dr. Ellen B. Mandinach is an internationally recognized expert on data-driven decision-making in education. As a researcher, she has developed the constructs of data literacy and culturally responsive data literacy. She has also developed a theoretical framework for data ethics in education. Dr. Mandinach has served on advisory committees for national organizations, providing guidance on data literacy and data-driven decision-making.
She has published extensively, authoring dozens of scholarly articles and ten books—primarily on the effective and responsible use of data in education. She released her books, Culturally Responsive Data Literacy: An Important Construct for All Educators and Data Ethics: How Educators Can Use Data Effectively and Responsibly in 2025.
Dr. Mandinach is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association and the American Psychological Association. She founded the Data-Driven Decision Making in Education Special Interest Group within the American Educational Research Association and served as its inaugural chair. She earned an A.B. from Smith College and a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Stanford University.
