Melissa Steel King

Melissa Steel King is an associate partner on the Policy and Thought Leadership team at Bellwether Education Partners, where her work has focused on program evaluation, teacher preparation and training, supporting whole child development, and personalized learning. Prior to joining Bellwether, Melissa worked at SUNY Albany’s Center for Human Services Research, where she conducted evaluations of programs such as the school district’s federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant, a local parenting education workshop series, and The Albany Promise, a cross-sector partnership to improve cradle-to-career outcomes for Albany students. Previously, Melissa has conducted effectiveness research on pre-k through 12 curricula in the Research and Validation Department at Scholastic Inc., and worked as a trainer and evaluator for a social and ethical awareness program in Boston public schools. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in New York City and Boston. Melissa is deeply committed to research and analysis related to children’s social and emotional development, pre-k through 12 literacy instruction and intervention, quality of implementation of instructional programs, and school improvement. 

Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a master’s in elementary education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She completed her doctorate in education in human development and psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Currently, Melissa serves on the board of GreatSchools and on the Executive Board of her local middle school PTA. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.