Sadie Stockdale Jefferson

Executive Director

Connect

Headshot of ‘Ed Lab’ staff person Sadie Jefferson

Connect

Dr. Sadie Stockdale Jefferson is the Executive Director for the Education Lab. Sadie spent the last 10 years working in Chicago both in the Government and Nonprofit sectors. Most recently, Sadie ran the foundation for Chicago Public Schools and prior to that, served as Deputy Chief of Staff for then CEO, Dr. Janice Jackson. Prior to that work, she was the Director of Education for Mayor Emanuel.

Sadie recently graduated with her Ph.D. in Educational Policy from Loyola University where she studied the role of neighborhood factors in school choice.

Sadie’s Resources
Personalized Learning Initiative Research Brief
Brief

Personalized Learning Initiative Research Brief

Mar 2024

Overview of the Personalized Learning Initiative, a nationwide R&D initiative to scale the benefits of tutoring.

Sadie’s Projects
Personalized Learning Initiative
CURRENT

Personalized Learning Initiative

The Personalized Learning Initiative is a moonshot to overcome pandemic learning loss and aims to bring high-dosage tutoring to students nationwide.

Latest Updates

The Case for Doubling Down on Tutoring, a Proven Solution We Can’t Afford to Lose
Op-Ed
The 74
Mar 2025

The Case for Doubling Down on Tutoring, a Proven Solution We Can’t Afford to Lose

Accelerate CEO Kevin Huffman and Education Lab executive director Sadie Stockdale Jefferson penned an op-ed that calls for doubling down on investing in tutoring programs as federal aid winds down and academic gaps persist five years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NAEP scores: It’s worse than you think but there is a solution
Press Release
UChicago Education Lab
Feb 2025

NAEP scores: It’s worse than you think but there is a solution

The latest NAEP scores are devastating—but as bad as they are, the real problem is even bigger. Test scores have been declining since 2013 and then got exponentially worse during the pandemic. What is going on?

How to build and own your tutoring programs
Op-Ed
District Administration
Oct 2024

How to build and own your tutoring programs

Education Lab Executive Director Sadie Stockdale Jefferson and Saga Education CEO Alan Safran provide commentary on how a school district’s investment in a tutoring program is a commitment to long-term educational equity and success.