Sherrie Reed Bennett

sreed
Sherrie Reed Bennett
Executive Director, California Education Lab, School of Education,
University of California, Davis

Sherrie Reed Bennett is executive director of the California Education Lab at the UC Davis School of Education, where she manages and directs faculty research efforts. Her work supports major collaborations among California’s public education segments, including formal partnerships with the California Department of Education, the University of California Office of the President, the California State University Chancellor’s Office, the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, and the California Student Aid Commission. Her research focuses on school reform, with studies on charter school accountability, student perceptions of school climate, and school finance in California’s charter and traditional public schools. She was previously  director of research for New Tech Network and worked in K–12 education as a special education teacher, school administrator, and charter school developer. Reed Bennett earned her BA in secondary education and an MA in special education from the University of Northern Colorado, and a PhD from the University of California, Davis.

updated 2025

Publications by Sherrie Reed Bennett
Opportunities for Research, Policy, and Practice
This brief discusses the challenges of fragmented and misaligned public education and proposes intersegmental collaborations as a solution. Effective collaboration between high school and college, between higher education systems, and between…
The Challenges and Solutions from Multiple Perspectives
This brief identifies persistent challenges in serving students with disabilities in California despite recent policy changes. It highlights the need for additional policy action such as increased funding, modified governance, and accountability…
This report details where California public high school students attend college and how college attendance and destinations vary by county. The report was created to fill the information gap on the college destinations of high school graduates in…
Public education in California shows progress, yet challenges remain in providing equal opportunities for all students. Poverty rates persist, and schools are highly segregated by race, ethnicity, family income, and language. While student outcomes…