Alexandria Hurtt

Alexandria Hurtt is a Research Fellow at the California Education Lab at the University of California, Davis. Her research interests include college access and readiness, examining the role of school inputs on students’ trajectories. Prior to her role at the Lab, she worked at a charter school in New Jersey helping to develop English curriculum for middle school students. She holds a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in School Organization and Educational Policy and a master’s degree in Education from the University of California, Davis and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from The College of New Jersey.

Education

• Ph.D., University of California, Davis, School Organization & Educational Policy 2021
• M.A., University of California, Davis, Education Policy 2015
• B.A., The College of New Jersey, Political Science 2012
• Minor: Professional Writing

Publications and Presentations

Hurtt, A., Reed, S., Dykeman, K., & Luu, J. (2025). Ensuring educational continuity in the midst of crisis: Policy and planning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational Policy, 39(2), 279–323. https://doi.org/10.1177/08959048231215488.

Graves, D. L., Hurtt A., Cooper, S., Kurlaender, M., Lewis, E., Evans, K., & Carter, K. (2025, February). Supporting black student and educator success: Reimagining higher education institutions through an African-centric lens. [Research Brief]. Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research. https://education.ucdavis.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/graves_ghana_research_brief_2025_1.pdf

Hurtt A., Kurlaender, M., Sun, C., & Zhou, B. (2024, March). The transition to college: Voices from the class of 2023 [Policy Brief]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/publications/transition-college

Sun, C., Kurlaender, M., Hurtt, A., & Zhou, B. (2024, March 15). Transition to college and disparities among LGBTQ+ students: Survey evidence from the high school class of 2023. Poster presented at the Association for Education Finance and Policy Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Guha, R., Hurtt, A., Kurlaender, M., & LeNoir, M. (2024, January 25). Leveraging state investments for high school transformation. Panel session at the Policy Analysis for California Education Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA.

Hurtt, A., Kurlaender, M., Sun, C., Zhou, B. (2023, November 14). The transition to college: Student voices from the class of 2023. Breakout session at the California Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.

Hurtt A., Reed, S., Lee, P., & Kurlaender, M. (2023, July). Addressing inequities in college preparatory course-taking. [Policy Brief]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/pb_hurtt_july2023.pdf

Reed, S., Hurtt, A., Kurlaender, M., Luu, J., & Merritt, C. (2023, July). Inequality in academic preparation for college. [Report]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2023-07/r_reed-july2023.pdf Alexandria M. Hurtt, Curriculum Vitae

Hurtt, A., Reed, S., Kurlaender, M., Luu, J., & Merritt, C. (2023, April 14). Academic opportunities in K-12: The increasing complexity of college pathways. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.

Hurtt, A., Lee, P., Luu, J., Ugo, I., & Isler, J. (2022, November 2). Strengthening college preparation through diverse course pathways: Addressing racial and economic inequalities. Breakout session at the California Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.

Reed, S., Hurtt, A., Hibel, J., & Garrett, D. (2022, June). Serving English learners during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Report]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/r_reed-may2022.pdf

Hurtt, A. (2022, April 27). Policy and planning in the midst of crisis: Supporting student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.

Hurtt, A. (2021, November 16). Supporting student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of policy and local planning. Breakout session at the California Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.

Hurtt, A., Cohen, K., & Reed, S. (2021, March). Early pandemic response in California: Identifying the structural and instructional changes in K-12. [Report]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/a_hurtt_march21.pdf

Cohen, K., Hurtt, A., Kurlaender, M., & Singh, J. (2020, March 26). College access and success: New research on statewide college outcomes and district approaches for improvement. Webinar for Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE.

Asim, M., Hurtt, A., Kurlaender, M., & Isler, J. (2019, November 19). Improving college readiness: Reexamining the role of the early assessment program. Breakout session at the California Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA.

Kurlaender, M., Reed, S., & Hurtt, A. (2019, August). Improving college readiness: A research summary and implications for practice. [Report]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/R_Kurlaender_Aug19_01.pdf

Kurlaender, M., Reed, S., & Hurtt, A. (2019, August). Improving college readiness: Leveraging research to inform practice. [Policy Brief]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/PB_Kurlaender_Aug19.pdf

Kurlaender, M., Hurtt, A., & Reed, S. (2019, May). K-12 content standards, assessment and accountability in California: A short primer for higher education. [Infographic]. Policy Analysis for California Education, PACE. https://edpolicyinca.org/sites/default/files/PACE%20Infographic%20-%20K-12%20Standards%20201904.pdf

Kurlaender, M., Isler, J., Reed, S., Asim, M., Hurtt, A., & Mathias, J. (2018, November 13). Academic rigor in 12th grade course enrollment. Breakout session at the California Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA.

Hurtt, A. (2018, April 15). Academic rigor and English course-taking: A descriptive analysis of differential enrollment patterns among California high school students. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, New York City, NY. 

Hurtt, A., Reed, S., Kurlaender, M., Martorell, P., & Naven, M. (2017, April 27). Reinvestigating the achievement gap: An analysis of student performance on the SBAC and CAHSEE. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.

Reed, S., Kurlaender, M., & Hurtt, A. (2016, September 7). Are A-G requirements an indicator of college readiness? Memo submitted to the California Department of Education.

Academic Awards and Honors

Scholarly Promise Award, University of California, Davis (2021)

Graduate Program Research Fellowship, University of California, Davis (2019)

Mohini Jain Family Foundation Award, University of California, Davis (2017, 2018)

Graduate Program Travel Fellowship, University of California, Davis (2017, 2018)

Equity & Inclusion Fellowship, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (2017)

First-Year Fellowship Award, University of California, Davis (2015)

Chairman of the Board Scholarship, The College of New Jersey (2008–2012)

Research Experience

Research Fellow, California Education Lab, UC Davis 2021–Present
Conduct and support analysis on multiple large-scale student-level datasets through the Lab’s partnerships. Lead role in drafting and editing briefs, articles, grant proposals, and grant reports. Attend and participate in meetings with state education leaders, advocacy groups, research centers, and funding partners. Support and mentor graduate student researchers in the dissemination of Lab-related research as well as lead professional development opportunities for undergraduate student research assistants.

Current Projects: Support the evaluation and assessment of UC Davis activities for the Regional K-16 Education Collaborative (2024-present); examine survey data related to student choice in the transition from high school to college (2023-24); investigate the equity of high school college preparatory course pathways (2022-23); identify the landscape of California adolescents (2022); analyze the strategic plans developed by K-12 school districts in the first full academic year of the pandemic (2021-22)

Graduate Student Researcher, California Education Lab, UC Davis 2016–2021
Selected Projects: Understand K-12 school districts’ early responses to COVID-19 across California (2020-21); parent/guardian survey on the use of college readiness information in California (2019-20); the role of the Early Assessment Program on student outcomes (2018-19); explore the usefulness of the California High School Exit Exam as a graduation requirement (2016-17); the strength of A-G course requirements as an indicator of college readiness (2016)

Teaching Experience

Teaching Assistant, School of Education, UC Davis 2015–2017; 2019
Courses: Introduction to Schools (2 quarters); Philosophical & Social Foundations of Education (2 quarters); Quantitative Methods in Educational Research: Analysis of Correlation and Design (graduate level, 2 quarters)

Academic Leadership and Service

Service to the Profession

• Ad Hoc Reviewer, AERA Open 2022
• Ad Hoc Reviewer, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 2020–2024

Service to the University

• Co-Secretary, African American Faculty and Staff Association, UC Davis
  2018–2019
   
• Student Research Mentor, Center for Poverty Research, UC Davis
  June–August 2016; 2017 
  Mentored undergraduate students through the Summer Poverty Research Engagement Experience (UCD-SPREE) Program. Participated in weekly meetings to promote students’ understanding of social science research and graduate school pathways. Provided research mentoring in concert with students’ advisor.

Affiliations

• American Educational Research Association
• Association for Education Finance and Policy
• Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
• California Educational Research Association