Megan Silander leads national initiatives and studies that generate new insights into effective pre-K–12 education policies and programs. Silander has extensive expertise in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research; descriptive, experimental, and quasi-experimental methods; and use of large-scale administrative and telemetry data. In addition to leading CAESART, her research focuses on media, technology, and learning.

She has co-led National Science Foundation-funded initiatives, and has conducted research on Ready To Learn, a U.S. Department of Education-supported initiative that examines how media can foster family engagement in learning and improve the school readiness of preschool children. Silander holds a PhD in Education Policy from Columbia University, an EdM in International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a BA in Linguistics from Pomona College.