Kate Hirschboeck

Overview

Kate Hirschboeck has more than 15 years of experience in education as a practitioner and researcher, with expertise in formative, developmental and user-centered evaluation. As a Senior Research Associate with the Improvement Science Team, Hirschboeck collaborates with clients to develop measurement approaches that are learning-focused, adaptable, and responsive to the needs and experiences of students, practitioners, and system leaders. 

Hirschboeck has a particular focus on educator preparation, development, and retention. She currently serves as the Project Director for WestEd’s multiyear evaluation of the CA Teacher Residency Grant Program, a $600 million state investment to launch and expand teacher residencies throughout California. Other project work at WestEd has supported initiatives in the K12 mathematics, adult education, and K16 pathways spaces, with an emphasis on using evaluation to support the sustainability and mindful scale of educational innovations. 

Before joining WestEd, Hirschboeck managed evaluation efforts for the Danish Refugee Council and the National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education and was a high school history teacher in Boston. 

Education

• MA in international affairs, Tufts University  
• BA in history, Middlebury College 

Select Publications

Hirschboeck, K., White, M. E., Brannegan, A., & Hannan, M. (2023). Barriers to the scalability and sustainability of the Teacher Residency Grant Program. WestEd.  

Hirschboeck, K., White, M. E., Hannan, M., Brannegan, A., & Reade, F. (2023). Building strong residency partnerships: Challenges and opportunities in the CA Teacher Residency Grant. WestEd.  

Hirschboeck, K., White, M. E., Brannegan, A., & Reade, F. (2022). Teacher residency programs in California: Financial sustainability challenges and opportunities. WestEd.  

Hirschboeck, K., Cunningham, J., Perry, R., & Takahashi, S. (2021). Catalyzing teacher inquiry with the PERTS survey: How a community of teachers at Mineola Middle School used a survey of social and emotional learning to foster student engagement. WestEd. 

Dolle, J., Bowman, A., Hirschboeck, K., & Miles, K. (2020). Equity-focused dual enrollment mathematics. WestEd.  

White, M., Hirschboeck, K., Donahue, C., & Gibney, D. (2020). Strengthening the data use and continuous improvement capacity of teacher preparation programs. WestEd. 

White, M., Hirschboeck, K., Takahashi, S., Reade, F., Perry, R., & Honigsberg, L. (2020). Launching the California Teacher Residency Grant Program. WestEd.