Kea Bekkedahl

Research Project Manager

Kea is a Research Project Manager supporting the Research Partnership for Professional Learning (RPPL) team at the Annenberg Institute. She is excited to continue building her education research knowledge at Annenberg.

Prior to joining the RPPL team, Kea worked as an analyst at the Equity Institute in Providence where she completed her graduate internship. Her primary work at the Equity Institute was in collaboration with the TA2BA program to evaluate existing support for paraprofessionals entering the teacher workforce. She concurrently worked as a research assistant under Professor Kenneth Wong in evaluating K-12 schools within the Department of Defense Education Agency (DoDEA). Prior to her work in education policy and research, Kea was a Teach For America Rhode Island Corps Member where she taught 7th grade math for two years. She is passionate about culturally responsive math curriculum and alleviating the barriers to math education. 

Based on her prior experiences, Kea’s other research interests include teacher absenteeism, rural education opportunities, and college access. 

Kea holds a B.A. in Economics from Baylor University and A.M. in Urban Education Policy from Brown University. In her free time, Kea enjoys exploring beaches and restaurants around Rhode Island, knitting, and updating her Letterbox.

Kea Bekkedahl