Maria Elena Lopez Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA

M. Elena Lopez is associate director at the Harvard Family Research Project. Her research interests focus on the relationships of families, schools, and communities in children’s development and education. She has co-led evaluations of public and philanthropic initiatives to promote children’s well-being, created tools to facilitate family engagement for high school success and college and career readiness, and provided technical assistance to states and communities in order support quality programs for young children and families. As a cofounder of the Family Involvement Network of Educators, a national network of more than 12,000 preK–12 educators, Dr. Lopez seeks to facilitate the usability of research in practice, policy, and professional development. Her other professional experiences include lecturing at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, working as a program officer for a philanthropic foundation, and serving on national advisory and governing boards. She is author/coauthor of numerous articles about family engagement in education. Dr. Lopez received her PhD in anthropology from Harvard University.