Aimee Evan

Overview

Aimee Evan is a senior research associate and school improvement specialist at WestEd, recognized for her impactful contributions to education. With a strong commitment to enhancing schools and ensuring student success, her expertise is grounded in extensive experience as a teacher, in-depth research, and a proven track record of building leadership capacity to sustain improvement initiatives.

Aimee brings a unique perspective to the challenges faced by underperforming schools. As a product of the South Side of Chicago, she attended Chicago Public Schools when the system was labeled low-performing, a reality few in her community knew. Having seen firsthand the profound effects of education, Aimee has dedicated over 25 years to partnering with school, district, and state leaders, tirelessly working to elevate the quality of education for all students.

As an expert in school improvement and accountability and conducting mixed-method applied research, Aimee supports policymakers and practitioners solve real-world issues to bring high quality options to all students.

Aimee delivers integrated solutions for WestEd partners, leading numerous research, evaluation, technical assistance, and professional learning projects in school improvement, systems design and alignment, special education, and college and career readiness. Currently spearheading the systemic improvement strategy, Indicators of Distress, she empowers schools and organizations to identify signs of distress and design and enact change by improving operations, assessing outcomes, and increasing impact. The Indicators of Distress model of early identification and intervention has been adopted by state and district leaders in 14 states.

Before WestEd, Aimee was the Director of Performance and Evaluation and led a statewide alliance of middle school educators, district and state educational agency staff teams, and built educators’ capacity to implement a continuous improvement process to increase middle school achievement across 40 districts. At the American Institutes for Research, Aimee evaluated the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s national small high school initiative, including the national evaluation of Early College High Schools and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant Ohio High School Transformation Initiative. She has published and presented extensively on school reform efforts and students’ short- and long-term outcomes.

Education

• PhD, K–12 educational administration, Indiana State University
• MAT, secondary social studies with a focus on educational equity, American University
• BA, in law and society–sociology with a minor in political science, Purdue University

Select Publications

Brown-Reed, F., Evan, A., Wynveen, K. (2024). Mapping assets for charter schools in distress: A guide for charter authorizers. WestEd.

Evan, A., & Berry, M. (2024). Identifying indicators of distress in your schools: A guide to charter authorizers. WestEd.

Evan, A. (2023). Student centered school improvement: Identifying systemic changes essential for success. New Degree Press.

National Charter School Resource Center. (2023). Sustaining effective programs even when grant funding runs out: A toolkit for charter school leadership teams. Bethesda, MD: Manhattan Strategy Group.

Evan, A., Sullivan, H., & Lewis, R. (2022). Indications and locations of distress in New York charter schools. WestEd.

National Charter School Resource Center. (2021). Identifying indicators of distress in charter schools: Tools to support authorizer data collection. Bethesda, MD: Manhattan Strategy Group.  https://charterschoolcenter.ed.gov/resource/identifying-indicators-distress-charter-schools-tools-support-authorizer-data-collection

National Charter School Resource Center. (2021). Identifying indicators of distress in charter schools, Part 2: The role and perspective of charter school leaders and board members. Bethesda, MD: Manhattan Strategy Group.

National Charter School Resource Center. (2020). Identifying indicators of distress in charter schools, Part 1: The role and perspective of charter school authorizers. Bethesda, MD: Manhattan Strategy Group.

National Charter School Resource Center. (2020). School quality assessment: Where are you on the pathway to success? Bethesda, MD: Manhattan Strategy Group.

Evan, A. & Canavero, S. (2020). Four Domains for Significant and Sustainable Charter School Improvement: A Systems Framework for the Charter Context. WestEd.

Evan, A. (2019). From the brink of closure: Key factors in one charter school’s successful turnaround. WestEd.

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Inaugural Accountability and Implementation Advisory Committee Member, Maryland State Accountability and Implementation Board, 2024-2026

American Educational Research Association Data-Driven Decision-Making Special Interest Group, Secretary, 2023-2025

Amazon’s #1 New Release Author in Education Policy & Reform, 2023

Maryland State Commission on School-to-Prison Pipeline and Restorative Practices, July 2017

Recent Media Appearances

• August Featured Voices: Author, Educator & Researcher: DR. AIMEE EVAN, Educator Aide®, July 29, 2023
• 148. Supporting Schools Before They Fail with Aimee Evan, PhD, Education Evolution, February, 2023