RICHMOND, CA — An experienced data analyst with deep local roots will lead the Chamberlin Education Foundation’s information management, impact evaluation, and organizational learning efforts.
Angelina Chacon-Garcia joined the CEF team as Program Manager, Data & Learning Systems, in April. Chacon-Garcia brings over 15 years of experience gathering, synthesizing, and sharing education data to the newly-created role.
“We are all adult learners,” Chacon-Garcia said, reflecting on how continuous use of data informs effective decision-making.
“I’m excited to support our team as we adopt tools and routines that allow data to refine our grantmaking and amplify program efficacy,” she said.
In support of CEF’s effort to improve student success, Chacon-Garcia will collect, analyze, and present data in ways that clarify the impact of foundation grants and partnerships on student outcomes, and surface new opportunities for future funding across the foundation’s focus areas.
“I think measuring impact is always important for any organization to be effective and efficient,” Chacon-Garcia said.
“This is especially true for a small, family foundation that wants to improve student outcomes, particularly for Black, Latino, and other under-resourced student groups that our local schools have struggled to adequately support,” she added.
Chacon-Garcia is no stranger to the challenges of finding a rigorous and supportive academic environment in which to learn. As a student growing up in San Pablo, she attended Lake Elementary, Fairmont Elementary, and Portola Middle School. Her mother and sisters attended Dover Elementary and Helms Middle School. As they have historically, student academic scores at these schools (with the exception of Fairmont) today fall well below statewide averages.
“Growing up in San Pablo created a sense of urgency in bringing equity and social justice to the forefront,” Chacon-Garcia said.
“My professional emphasis on first seeking knowledge and then applying it is always refueled by my childhood experiences and seeing the very clear disparities based on race and income at school,” she said.
After graduation, Chacon-Garcia pursued a broad course of academic study, but kept data and applied learning as a “throughline.” She earned a B.A. in Psychology and Religious Studies from UC Davis, and a M.Ed. with a concentration in Equity and Social Justice at California State University, San Francisco.
"When student success is on the line, measuring outcomes and adapting to make necessary improvements is both a responsibility, and an opportunity."
In addition to analyzing student outcome data, Chacon-Garcia will design the foundation’s information management systems, and co-lead the CEF team’s effort to leverage continuous learning in service of its mission to advance education equity and academic excellence in West Contra Costa’s K-12 public schools.
Foundation CEO Dr. Stefanie Phillips called Chacon-Garcia’s role a “game-changer” for the CEF team.
“When student success is on the line, measuring outcomes and adapting to make necessary improvements is both a responsibility, and an opportunity,” she said.
“Just as we would expect of our partners in West Contra Costa education who provide learning experiences for students, we too must dedicate time and effort to measuring and evaluating what’s working, and allocate resources accordingly,” Phillips said.
“Angelina rounds out our team’s ability to dig deep into data, identify trends, double-down on what’s working, and pivot away from what isn’t,” she added. “I believe that this will allow us to be more effective partners in the West Contra Costa education ecosystem.”
During her career, Chacon-Garcia has seen the benefits of ongoing data analysis to improve educator practice, and enhance student learning.
In a past role at one charter management organization, she said, “the opportunity to analyze and discuss student data with a more holistic lens, including additional data like attendance, disciplinary interventions, and subgroup membership allowed us to produce stronger, more comprehensive student support plans.”
Prior to joining the CEF team, Chacon-Garcia served as Senior Data Analyst at the California College Guidance Initiative. There, she led the organization’s Technical Assistance team to streamline information workflows across multiple departments and data sources.
Previously, Chacon-Garcia worked as a data manager and analyst at KIPP Bay Area Public Schools, Envision Schools, and Making Waves Academy.
As she did in past roles, Chacon-Garcia says, she looks forward to working with the foundation team to “ask probing questions that lead us to make confident recommendations about grantmaking, partner support, and systems change.”
With valid measurements of progress, she said, “our targeted grants and partnerships can ultimately lead to students getting the high quality instruction they deserve.”
About the Chamberlin Education Foundation
The Chamberlin Education Foundation supports initiatives that advance education equity and academic excellence in West Contra Costa public schools. CEF’s grants and programs support effective education leadership, high-quality curriculum and instruction, restorative student interventions, and help create and sustain a student-centered public education ecosystem.
Click here for more about our team, our vision, and our foundation’s guiding principles.
