Tara Courchaine Joins as Chief Research & Development Officer

Date:
Wednesday, November 17, 2021

CAST is thrilled to welcome Dr. Tara Courchaine, EdD, as Chief Research & Development Officer. Tara comes from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. In that role, she helped to support the work in two divisions: Research-to-Practice and the Monitoring and State Improvement Program. She also brings experience as a classroom teacher in both K-12 and postsecondary settings. Tara earned her doctorate in Special Education from The George Washington University.

“As an educator,” says Tara, “I taught early childhood students, in both general and special education, in public and Catholic school settings. These experiences, tied with my more recent work experiences have influenced the development of my research interests, which are related to issues of inclusive practice, teacher knowledge and skills in special education and differentiation, for diverse and exceptional learners.”

CAST’s Interim CEO, David Gordon, says: “We’re so fortunate to have Tara join our team. She brings a wealth of experience in research-to-practice work and a career-long commitment to ensuring inclusive environments that meet the needs of all learners. With her leadership, CAST’s R&D team will continue to pursue our mission to make a world where learning has no limits.”