Andrea Lopez Salazar conducts qualitative research on advising reform, developmental education, and student engagement at community colleges.
She holds an EdM in human development and psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and earned a BA in human development and family studies with a minor in women’s studies from the University of Connecticut. Lopez also holds a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL) from Teachers College, Columbia University.
Prior to joining CCRC, Lopez contributed to the coordination of the Strategic Data Project Fellowship at Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, a two-year professional development program that places data strategists in education agencies. For three years, Lopez worked as a site director with Let’s Get Ready, a student-led, volunteer-run organization that works to expand access to college for low-income high school students. Similarly, she managed mentoring, tutoring, and service-learning programs for students in Stamford, CT.
Lopez's research interests include the role of noncognitive factors in school performance, the effects of college choice and undermatching among underrepresented students, and the transition from high school to postsecondary education and employment.
