Amanda Danks

Amanda Danks is a Senior Researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR) with extensive experience supporting investigations aimed at enhancing equity and opportunity for learners of all backgrounds and abilities. Dr. Danks is the Associate Director of the AIR Economic Evaluation of Policies and Programs Methods Hub, which focuses on building internal capacity to propose and conduct rigorous economic evaluations and supporting other organizations as they take on this important work. She manages a variety of economic evaluation projects associated with statewide and federal policies along with targeted programs implemented by the Legal Aid Society of New York. Her work centers around policies and programs aimed at supporting special populations, including students with disabilities and those in need of quality subsidized child care.

Dr. Danks is adept at framing complex educational policies and programs in an effort to determine the resources they use, the corresponding costs, and their cost-effectiveness. Dr. Danks holds a B.S. in Psychology from Bethany College and a Masters in Leadership in Teaching with a Specialization in Special Education from the University of Notre Dame in Maryland. She completed her Ph.D. at North Carolina State University in the Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis program in 2021, where her training focused on the economics of education and methods of cost analysis.