As a Senior Research and Policy Associate, Anna’s research focuses on early care and education systems. Her primary contributions are for the California Workforce Study and related projects that inform regional and state-level policymaking. Anna began her career as an early childhood teacher and nonprofit program manager in Washington, DC. To better support students, parents, and fellow educators, she returned home to the Bay Area to study public policy, eventually coming to CSCCE after working in county offices of education. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History from Princeton University and a master’s degree in Public Policy from the UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Anna is also a classically trained soprano and rock band vocalist.
Publications by Anna Powell
February 8, 2023 • Brief • By Anna Powell, Elena Montoya, Lea J.E. Austin, Yoonjeon Kim, Wanzi Muruvi and Abby Copeman Petig
Drawing on findings from the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study, this brief provides statewide data on teachers of preschool-age children. This brief explores the experiences of early…
Teaching Transitional Kindergarten: A Snapshot of the Teacher Experience Before UTK Expansion
December 6, 2022 • Report • By Elena Montoya, Anna Powell, Lea J.E. Austin, Yoonjeon Kim, Wanzi Muruvi and Abby Copeman Petig
In the fall of 2020, CSCCE surveyed almost 300 TK teachers in classrooms throughout California as part of the California Early Care and Education Workforce Study. This brief provides…
August 23, 2022 • Report • By Elena Montoya, Lea J.E. Austin, Anna Powell, Yoonjeon Kim, Abby Copeman Petig and Wanzi Muruvi
Drawing on findings from the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study, this report provides statewide and regional wage and benefits data for home- and center- based early…
Early Care and Education Programs During COVID-19: Persistent Inequities and Emerging Challenges
June 1, 2022 • Report • By Yoonjeon Kim, Elena Montoya, Lea J.E. Austin, Anna Powell and Wanzi Muruvi
This report takes a closer look at the impact of COVID-19 on early care and education (ECE) programs, staffing and disparities using data collected by the Center by the Center…
Double or Nothing? Potential TK Wages for California’s Early Educators
June 1, 2022 • Data Snapshot • By Anna Powell, Elena Montoya, Lea J.E. Austin and Yoonjeon Kim
California has proposed a broad expansion of transitional kindergarten (TK), a school-based early learning program serving four-year-olds. This improvement will make TK universally available to all four-year-olds by 2025, framed…
California’s early educators can’t afford to retire
May 11, 2022 • Blog • By Anna Powell
Early care and education (ECE) teachers face chronically low wages, both in California and around the country. However, low earnings are not the only reason early educators worry about…