Our Team

Our Team

David M. Houston is an Assistant Professor of Education in the College of Education and Human Development and the academic program coordinator of the Education Policy Program at George Mason University. He is also the director of EdPolicyForward: The Center for Education Policy, a university affiliate faculty in the Schar School of Policy and Government, and the survey director of the Education Next Poll at Harvard University.

Prof. Houston studies education politics, governance, and public opinion. His research has appeared in academic outlets such as the American Journal of Education, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and Educational Researcher. It has also been featured in media outlets such as Vox, Chalkbeat, and Education Week. This work has been supported by the Spencer Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the W. T. Grant Foundation.

Prior to his position at Mason, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He earned his PhD in Politics and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Before pursuing his doctorate, he taught first and second grade in New York City.

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Anne Holton (Senior Fellow) is a Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government and at the College of Education and Human Development and served as Interim President of George Mason University from 2019-20. She is a life-long advocate for children and families in Virginia. With an A.B. from Princeton and a Harvard law degree, Holton has worked as a legal aid lawyer serving low-income families, a juvenile and domestic relations district court judge, a child welfare reformer, and Virginia’s Secretary of Education. Holton helped integrate the inner-city schools of Richmond, Virginia, as a child when her father was Virginia's governor in the early 1970's. As Virginia’s First Lady when her husband was Governor in 2006-2010, Holton championed foster care system reform. As Virginia’s Secretary of Education in 2014-2016, Holton worked to increase Virginia’s investment in public education, to promote innovation and the joy of teaching and learning in our schools, and to ensure every student has a successful pathway to the future, especially those in high-poverty communities. Her life’s work has focused on children and families at the margin, and the crucial role education must play in helping young people escape poverty. Holton currently serves on the Virginia Board of Education. She and her husband, now a U.S. Senator, live in Richmond, VA. They have three adult children, all of whom attended Richmond Public Schools.

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Dr. Seth B Hunter is an Assistant Professor of Education Leadership with Mason affiliations in Research Methods and Education Policy. He is also a Fellow with the Tennessee Education Research Alliance, a partnership among Vanderbilt University, the Tennessee Department of Education, and other researchers. His research interests concern educator and organizational effectiveness; he applies various methods and draws on multiple disciplines to explore these topics. More specifically, Dr. Hunter’s work has explored instructional coaching labor markets, teacher and principal professional development and evaluation, and data use by leaders to manage human resources. Dr. Hunter’s work appears in several elite education, education policy, and education leadership journals, including Educational Researcher, Education Administration Quarterly, and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. He has received several grants from education agencies and philanthropies to support his research. Due to his expertise, Dr. Hunter advises multiple local and state policymaking bodies and education agencies across the United States.

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Mark R. Ginsberg is the former dean of the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University, where he served from 2010-20 and the provost and executive vice president from 2020-23. Ginsberg was named the 15th president of Towson University in August 2023.

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Affiliated Faculty

Affiliated Doctoral Students

• Katherine Bowser
• Beth Davis