Medha Tare, PhD, is the Director of Research for the Learner Variability Project at the education nonprofit, Digital Promise. She leads the synthesis of research on the factors that affect children and adults’ learning (content, cognition, social-emotional, and background) to inform an open source web app, the Learner Variability Navigator. This work bridges the gap between the scientific literature and educators who are working to support students with different strengths and challenges. Tare earned her doctoral degree in developmental psychology at the University of Michigan and was then a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia, where she studied bilingual development and children’s learning in informal settings such as museums. She was then a research scientist for seven years at the University of Maryland, leading interdisciplinary teams conducting applied research on individual differences in language learning and the effectiveness of educational technology in support of government and private sector efforts. Her research is published in journals such as Language Learning and Technology, Journal of Cognition and Development, and Science Education. She also volunteers as an adult and youth tutor for a local organization that supports families facing housing insecurity and runs an Instagram account to share her love of children’s books.
