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Staff
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About Us
Katherine Hayes
Director, Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Phone: 213-804-3247
Dr. Hayes has engaged in District research activities for over 20 years. Trained as an educational anthropologist, her work has focused on bilingual education in early childhood and elementary school, parent involvement of Spanish-speaking families, and the LAUSD School Experience Survey. She has conducted or directed several AERA-award winning evaluations of English learner programs. Currently, she directs the work of research and evaluation staff in the following activities: the selection and continuation of educational products and programs designed to serve low-income students and students of color by conducting mixed-method evaluations; implementing landscape, equity, and root cause analyses and reviewing approximately 150 external research and evaluation projects annually. She is a member of the National Network of Educational Research Practice Partnership (NNERPP) and Research Directors of the Council of Great City Schools.
Kathy holds a Ph.D. in Qualitative Research Methods from UCLA.
Timea (Timi) Farkas
Program Evaluation and Research Coordinator
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Timi is passionate about using mixed-methods research to inform education policy and practice and advance equity for historically underserved students. In her position as Program Evaluation and Research Coordinator at LAUSD’s Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch, she leads several projects including the evaluation of the Master Plan for English Learners and Standard English Learners; and the evaluation of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools. In her work, she draws on her extensive methodological experience with large datasets, advanced quantitative methods, survey methods, classroom observations, and in-depth interviews. In addition, her work is guided by her expertise in developmental psychology and English Learner education. Timi was born in Romania and, at age nine, immigrated to the U.S. with her family, with whom she speaks Hungarian. When she is not conducting research, she enjoys spending time with cats, dogs, horses, and her favorite humans.
Timi has a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Octavio Pescador
Program Evaluation and Research Coordinator
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Dr. Pescador coordinates a team of research analysts conducting mixed-method formative evaluations and other research projects across LAUSD divisions and departments. Over the past decade, Octavio has collaborated in research projects on early childhood education at the federal, state and county levels. He is a co-founder of the UCLA Paulo Freire Institute at the School of Education and Information and has taught education and social sciences courses at domestic and international higher education institutions. Dr. Pescador has worked extensively with Angeleno students and community-based organizations in civic engagement projects and served as an international development consultant. His international work has focused on early grade reading project implementation and evaluation in crisis and conflict areas.
In his position as Program Evaluation and Research Coordinator at LAUSD's Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch, he manages several projects including the Cohort 1 Short Term Evaluation of Community Schools; Resource and Program Landscape Analysis Social Emotional Learning and Wellness program; and Monitoring the 2022-2026 LAUSD Strategic Plan.
Octavio holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Education from UCLA.
Neal Lalwani
Senior Educational Research Analyst
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Dr. Neal Lalwani is a social psychologist who has been with the LAUSD since 2001. Co-author of the book, Self-Awareness & Causal Attribution: A Dual-Systems Theory (2012) which presented a new theory of how self-awareness affects thought, feeling, and action. His former LAUSD projects included absence management, seismic mitigation, and the online field trip system. His current research projects with the SD&E branch include coordinating Verizon innovation studies and exploring cross-departmental perspectives on social emotional learning.
Neal has a Ph.D. in Social psychology from the University of Southern California.
Jesus Renteria
Senior Educational Research Analyst
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Dr. Renteria is a Senior Educational Research Analyst at the Los Angeles Unified School District. He has extensive training in mixed methods research from multiple disciplines, including Education, Sociology, and Psychology. As a graduate student, Jesús was a recipient of the William T. Grant Scholars Program Fellowship and The School of Education Graduate Research Scholars (Ed-GRS) Advanced Opportunity Fellowship (AOF). His research primarily focuses on improving the educational experiences and outcomes of racial/ethnic and low-income students in both K-12 and post-secondary education. During his tenure at LAUSD, Jesus has led the Community School Initiative – Cohort 1 Short-Term Evaluation and the Middle School report on Trends as well as being a major contributor to the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools Five-Year Performance Evaluation, and the evaluation proposals for the Tutoring Program and SENI.
Jesus earned his Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Jessica Bogner
Educational Research Analyst
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Phone: 213-241-2518
Trained in program evaluation and social science research and statistics, Ms. Bogner has worked with LEAs, districts, and universities across California to evaluate STEM Professional Development, after-school, pre-teacher training, and justice-involved populations. She has experience working with organizations in data capacity building, creating and managing complex systems for participant follow-up, research requests, and developing a customized database with external technology partners. Ms. Bogner utilizes a mixed methods approach with experience in qualitative (focus groups, interviews and observations), quantitative (regression, ANOVA, repeated measures MANOVA) and survey development. Current projects in LAUSD with SD&E are Title I SPSA Evaluations, the HEET Initiative, Partnership Schools (PLAS), and organizing the Equity Analysis for the 100-day plan.
Jessica has a MA in Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University and a BFA in Graphic Design from Academy of Art University, San Francisco.
Abdullah Orozco
Educational Research Analyst
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Formerly a teacher, Mr. Orozco has worked in the private sector as a consultant on program evaluation projects for government agencies and non-profits and in the public sector for local, state, and federal agencies. Education-specific projects that Abdullah has worked on include a STEM intervention for the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology and an evaluation of a STEM fellowship for the Department of Defense. Most recently, Abdullah worked as a staff analyst II at San Bernardino County’s Preschool Services Department. His work at LAUSD includes contributing to the evaluation of the Master Plan for English Learners and Standard English Learners; the evaluation of the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools; and writing evaluation proposals regarding ECE facilities. He enjoys winning cooking competitions and speaks Mandarin Chinese.
Abdullah has a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Washington.
Chyann Richard
Educational Research Analyst
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Chyann Richard joined the Branch in July 2022. With ample experience in clinical and preclinical psychological research, Ms. Richard is well versed in research methods, statistical analysis, and dissemination of findings to diverse audiences. Her expertise includes abnormal childhood development (e.g., ADHD, Autism, etc.), behavioral interventions, and social emotional learning.
Her current projects include the Resource and Program Landscape Analysis Social Emotional Learning and Wellness programs and Monitoring the 2022-2026 LAUSD Strategic Plan.
Chyann holds an MA in Psychology with an emphasis in Psychological Research from California State University, Long Beach.
Britney Wise
Educational Research Analyst
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
Phone: 213-241-7000
As a member of the Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch, Britney led the effort to evaluate the Humanizing Education for Equitable Transformation (HEET) initiative. She has also supported several other projects, such as, the evaluation of the Master Plan for English Learners and Standard English Learners and the effort to monitor the implementation of the L.A. Unified Strategic Plan.
Prior to joining the Branch, Britney worked for the Independent Analysis Unit, a team that conducts research for the L.A. Unified Board of Education to help facilitate data-driven decision making. During that time, Britney produced several reports covering a wide variety of topics from school safety to dual language program implementation.
Britney has a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Southern California.
Carolin Alexander
Senior Office Technician
Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
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Strategic Data and Evaluation Branch
333 S. Beaudry Ave 16th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Phone: 213-241-4100
