Our Staff
Jennifer Brown Lerner, joined American Youth Policy Forum in 2005. As a Senior Program Associate, Ms. Lerner identifies and researches issues, policies, and programs for AYPF’s learning events (Capitol Hill forums, site visits, roundtable policy meetings) and publications. Currently, she is organizing a series of forums on role of career and technical education in high school reform. She has also co-authored a compendium on best practices in secondary-post secondary learning options entitled The College Ladder: Linking Secondary and Postsecondary Education for Success for All.
Prior to joining AYPF, Ms. Lerner earned a master in arts from Teacher’s College, Columbia University in educational administration with a concentration in leadership, policy, and politics. Her graduate work included a policy brief entitled “Measuring and Defining Social Capital” for the National Center for Schools and Communities at Fordham University.
Ms. Lerner has also worked as a classroom teacher and development officer for a number of independent schools in the Boston area. Her diverse responsibilities included substitute teaching, writing and designing school publications, and training fundraising volunteers. Additionally, she was active in the creation of a Summerbridge (now Breakthrough Collaborative) site in Atlanta, Georgia. The Breakthrough Collaborative is a national program that engages middle school students in year-round academic enrichment with high school and college students serving as teachers and mentors.
Ms. Lerner received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and her MA from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also participated in the Education Policy Fellow Program at the Institute for Educational Leadership in 2005-06.