Amaya Garcia is deputy director of PreK–12 education with the Education Policy program at New America.
Garcia provides research and analysis on policies and programs related to English learners, including dual language education, bilingual teacher preparation and career pathways, bilingual education, English language proficiency, and early education.
Garcia's work includes research on Grow Your Own teacher preparation programs and related policies. She leads and supports New America’s Grow Your Own Educators National Network.
Prior to joining New America, Garcia was a policy analyst at the DC State Board of Education and a research associate at the American Institutes of Research. She has worked in a variety of research labs, conducting studies on school finance, reading comprehension, infant learning and memory, and early language development, among other topics.
Garcia holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland–College Park, a master’s degree in cognitive studies in education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from the University of Iowa.
