Andrea Browning

Overview

Andrea Browning has had a 20+ year career in education across research, practice, and policy roles to help school districts, nonprofit organizations, and the federal government strengthen student-centered supports in K–12 education. Her approach to educational improvement is rooted in helping educators and system leaders design responsive and engaging teaching and learning environments that prioritize equity and belonging. Browning’s areas of expertise include social and emotional learning, personalized learning, culturally responsive learning environments, and systems change. At WestEd she serves as a project director, collaborating with state, district, federal, and nonprofit clients to provide facilitation, coaching, technical assistance, research, and program evaluation support. 

Currently, Browning leads the Engaging Equity body of work with the Oregon Department of Education, building capacity for improving equity. Browning also leads a project to prepare Oregon educators to implement updated social sciences standards, which include ethnic studies, the Holocaust, and other genocides. In her district-facing roles, Browning works with partners in Nevada to design and implement the Portrait of a Learner and with Colorado school districts to support the district’s equity commitments. Browning’s previous roles at WestEd include serving as deputy director of the Leandro team, which advised the state of North Carolina on equity-centered actions necessary to provide every child with a sound basic education, and as the director of regional initiatives for the federally funded Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center.  

Browning’s career in education began more than two decades ago at the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, where she worked as a community liaison to connect marginalized high school students with engaging learning and out-of-school time opportunities. This dedication to the students and families historically furthest from opportunity informed her later roles with the Society for Research in Child Development and the American Youth Policy Forum. Prior to joining WestEd, Browning spent 5 years at the U.S. Department of Education leading technical assistance for states awarded Race to the Top grants and as team lead for the $500 million Race to the Top-District personalized learning portfolio. In this role, she supported, convened, and learned alongside innovative district leaders from across the country as they implemented personalization strategies at scale. 

Education

• MPA, George Washington University 
• BS in education and social policy, Northwestern University 

Select Publications

Browning. A. & Warner, S. (2024). Understanding how social-emotional learning, culturally responsive and sustaining education and critical race theory intersect. In Perks, K. (Ed.) Transformational leadership for rapid school improvement (pp. 168-187.) Teachers College Press. 

Warner, S., Browning, A., Mallett Moore, E., Mandinach, E. & Peng, J.M. (2023). Moving culturally responsive data use from research and theory to practice [Conference presentation]. Society for Research in Educational Effectiveness Conference, Arlington, VA, United States.  

Browning, A., Kaminsky, C., & Gerzon, N. (2022). Moving toward instructional coherence: How four popular student-centered approaches deepen identity, agency, equity, and community. WestEd.  

Browning, A., & Romer, N. (2021). Supporting students’ social and emotional connectedness during remote learning. WestEd. 

Browning, A., & Romer, N. (2020). To create safe and healthy schools during a pandemic, prioritize educator wellbeing. WestEd.  

Browning, A. (2020). Mindfulness in education: An approach to cultivating self-awareness that can bolster kids’ learning. Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety at WestEd, WestEd. 

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Member of the Board of Directors of the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School, a PK–8 public charter school that follows a progressive education model