Dion Burns

Dion Burns is a Senior Researcher at the Learning Policy Institute. He conducts quantitative and qualitative research on issues of educator diversity, whole child education practices, and equitable resources and access. Burns’ recent research has included work relating to students experiencing homelessness, English learners, school funding policy, and community schools. He was a coauthor of the LPI report Closing the Opportunity Gap: How Positive Outlier Districts in California Are Pursuing Equitable Access to Deeper Learning. Before joining LPI, Burns was a Research Analyst at the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education, where his work included research into teaching quality, educator professional collaboration, and student-centered schools. He was a coauthor of the book Empowered Educators: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality Around the World (Jossey-Bass). Burns received a Master of Arts in International Comparative Education from Stanford University and a Master of International Relations from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. He holds additional graduate- and undergraduate-level qualifications in mathematics, physics, and economics.