Lindsey Hayes

Lindsey Hayes, Ph.D., is a Principal Researcher at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). She leads AIR’s special education practice group including planning for annual business development and managing proposal teams. She has over a decade of experience leading technical assistance efforts for U.S. Department of Education-funded national centers related to special education, intensive intervention, educator preparation, and educator quality. Dr. Hayes serves as a co-director of the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center. In this role she supports over 20 states to create robust networks between state education agencies, educator preparation programs, and local districts to build the capacity of state personnel preparation systems to prepare teachers and leaders to effectively serve students with disabilities. She has led multiple high-profile projects to evaluate and strengthen special education systems at the state and district level, most recently with Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia and the Texas Education Agency. Dr. Hayes previously worked as a special education coordinator and high school special education teacher in the District of Columbia. Dr. Hayes earned her Ph.D. in special education from the University of Northern Colorado.