Laura Bornfreund
Deputy Director, Early Education Initiative
Laura Bornfreund is a deputy director of New America's Early Education Initiative. She examines state and federal policies related to learning and teaching birth through grade 3. She writes on a variety of topics including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, federal education grant programs, teacher preparation, retention, evaluation and support, kindergarten, and early childhood assessment.
Ms. Bornfreund authored the reports “An Ocean of Unknowns: Using Student Achievement Data to Evaluate PreK-3rd Grade Teachers, "Getting in Sync: Revamping Licensing and Preparation for Teachers in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and the Early Grades," and co-authored "Many Missing Pieces: The Difficult Task of Linking Early Childhood Data and School-Based Data Systems." Ms. Bornfreund and her work have been cited by Education Week, Christian Science Monitor, Slate, The Congressional Quarterly, Politifact, and on various local newspapers and respected early education blogs.
Before joining New America, Ms. Bornfreund worked for several policy organizations in Washington, D.C., including the Institute for Educational Leadership and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Before moving to D.C., she worked for the City of Orlando, helping to implement its Parramore Kidz Zone, an initiative modeled after the Harlem Children's Zone. Ms. Bornfreund began her career as a fourth grade teacher in Orlando, Fla. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Central Florida.