Naihobe Gonzalez

Naihobe Gonzalez specializes in designing and conducting rigorous impact evaluations in education, frequently collaborating with education agencies to carry out research, collect administrative data, and disseminate findings.

Gonzalez has extensive experience leading experimental and quasi-experimental education research. As part of a district-researcher partnership with the Oakland Unified School District, she is co-principal investigator of a multisite cluster randomized evaluation of a literacy intervention for secondary students. Gonzalez also directs a randomized evaluation of College Track, a college prep program for disadvantaged students, and is part of a randomized study of the effects of expanding Pell Grant eligibility for the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. Her expertise in quasi-experimental methods includes regression discontinuity, comparative interrupted time series, and propensity score matching, which she has used to analyze the effects of education policies such as a behavioral intervention to boost student participation in Advanced Placement and school turnaround efforts in Atlanta Public Schools. As a certified reviewer for the What Works Clearinghouse, Gonzalez applies her methodological expertise to review, assess, and rate the rigor of studies that evaluate the effectiveness of educational programs. She also serves as a reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education’s Regional Educational Laboratories to ensure research is policy-relevant and methodologically sound.

Gonzalez’ work has been published in the Economics of Education Review and been featured in NPR Ed and Education Week. She holds a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University.