Department of Education

Christopher Cleveland

Assistant Professor of Education and Education Policy
christopher_cleveland1@brown.edu
Room 234
Research Profile
Fall 2025 Office Hours By appointment

Biography

Dr. Christopher Cleveland is an Assistant Professor of Education and Education Policy, holding a joint appointment in the Education Department and Annenberg Institute. His research and teaching focus on quantitative policy analysis in school finance, gifted and special education, and human capital.

Before joining Brown University, Christopher was a Research Assistant Professor at Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development and a Consulting Manager at Education Resource Strategies.

Christopher Cleveland has a Ph.D.  in Education Policy and Program Evaluation from Harvard University; an Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education; an A.M. in Education from Harvard University; and an A.B. in Sociology with a Secondary in Mind, Brain, & Behavior from Harvard College.

Recent News

The Brown Daily Herald

RI education department releases special education blueprint amid federal funding cuts

The Rhode Island Department of Education recently released its "Blueprint & Strategic Plan for Differently-Abled Students’ Success." Professor Christopher Cleveland spoke with The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. about some of his 'kudos' and 'questions' regarding the plan.
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The Hill

Mamdani proposal to eliminate kindergarten gifted program splits education advocates

“One of the central concerns with gifted education, in particular with the younger ages, are considerations for which students are going to be able to be identified as gifted. This is a clear concern when the system has an opt-in policy, where it might require families to sign up for some like outside assessment to be identified as gifted, and not all families might have the resources or the knowledge to do that,” said Christopher Cleveland, assistant professor of education and education policy at Brown University.
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Educational Researcher

Are Students on Track? Comparing the Predictive Validity of Administrative and Survey Measures of Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills for Long-Term Outcomes

Professor Christopher Cleveland and co-authors examine the predictive power of various student metrics on long-term educational success, finding that while survey-based cognitive and self-regulation measures initially correlate with high school and college outcomes, traditional indicators like test scores, GPA, and attendance-related factors provide stronger and more reliable predictions.
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