Dana Chambers

Co-Deputy Director
AIR
Dana Chambers

Dana Chambers, Co-Deputy Director

Dana Chambers is co-deputy director of the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) and a principal technical assistance consultant with AIR, bringing with her 15 years of experience as a teacher, school administrator, and project leader, with specific expertise in educator quality and equity issues. As deputy director of the GTL Center, Chambers contributes to the strategic direction of the center, serving as the senior advisor to a portfolio of equity-focused technical assistance projects, and oversees the centers evaluation and reporting efforts.  Chambers also leads the Talent for Turnaround Leadership Academy, a collaborative effort across the comprehensive center network to support eight state and 15 district teams in designing and implementing bold talent management strategies to attract, support, and retain excellent educators in the highest need schools. Beyond her GTL Center work, Chambers is the Peer to Peer (P2P) Exchange Task Lead on the State Support Network, managing the design and implementation of P2Ps with states in support of school improvement efforts under the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Chambers has led a range of projects including: the Maine Schools for Excellence TIF-4 project, a 5-year effort providing technical assistance to four districts as they developed and implemented comprehensive educator talent management systems; aTexas Education Agency toolkit to support districts in developing local equitable access plans; aGeorge W. Bush Institute (GWBI) study to develop a framework for effective principal talent management policies and practices; and arelated GWBI study evaluating the impact of selected principal preparation programs.

Prior to joining AIR, Chambers served as interim director of curriculum design for Grant Wiggins’ Authentic Education, managing a design team as they developed Common Core-aligned curriculum materials for a network of turnaround middle schools. Chambers also spent several years as a senior associate with edCount, LLC, a DC-based education consultancy firm where she provided technical assistance to school districts focused on Common Core implementation, curriculum design, school culture, formative assessment, and professional development. Chambers began her career as a New York City Teaching Fellow, spending three years as an elementary and middle school teacher in high needs classrooms, and went on to be the Dean of Students in a top performing urban charter middle school in Brooklyn, playing a central role in school operations and managing school culture and the student discipline system. Chambers has also spent time as a legislative aide in a congressional office, and a research fellow during her graduate studies at New York University.

Chambers earned an M.A. in the sociology of education from New York University, an M.S. in teaching from Pace University, and a B.A. in journalism from New York University, and has permanent teaching certification from New York State. University.

Dana's Recent Highlights

Project: Talent for Turnaround Leadership Academy. Center on Great Teachers and Leaders. 2019

Toolkit: Texas Equity Toolkit. Texas Education Agency 2019.

Blog: Strengthening the Principal Pipeline: Innovative Ideas from State Equity Plans. Center on Great Teachers and Leaders, March 07, 2016