Lisa Walker, a Senior Researcher at Chapin Hall, is interested in the improvement of urban public schools through applied research and development efforts and in the intersection of student learning and student supports for learning, both in and out of school. Her work has focused on school-level change efforts and the opportunities within schools to leverage improvement, as well as challenges. Her most recent work is the area of community school partnerships and mental health supports for students in schools.

Prior to joining Chapin Hall, Dr. Walker was a Research Associate at the Center for Urban School Improvement at the University of Chicago (now the Urban Education Institute), where she worked with researchers and practitioners to develop and evaluate innovative efforts to improve literacy instruction and to support the use of data and technology tools by school practitioners. Dr. Walker has a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University and an M.A. in Education and History from Teachers College, Columbia University.