Research Project Director
Brenda Santos leads the Annenberg Institute’s research-practice partnerships with Rhode Island school districts. Before coming to Brown, Brenda was Vice President of Teaching and Learning at Achievement First. She began her work in education as a high school social studies teacher in the Bronx, NY, and later was a teacher and assistant principal in New Haven, CT. Most recently, Brenda facilitated multi-generational community research teams that developed community-derived equity indicators in Providence and Newport, RI. Brenda has also taught history at the undergraduate level and served as a clinical supervisor for pre-service teachers.
Brenda's research has focused on the instructional practices of culturally responsive and sustaining teachers in the high school disciplines and on practitioner inquiry models of professional teacher learning. Brenda holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Rhode Island, master’s degrees in History from Yale University and in Social Studies Education from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree in Social Thought and Political Economy from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
