Ian McCullough

Ian McCullough

Ian McCullough is a first-year master's candidate in Vanderbilt University’s Master’s of Public Policy in Education program. He works as a Research Assistant for Barnes Research Lab under Dr. Marcia Barnes and Dr. BrittanyLee Martin where he collects testing data from kindergartners and administers a tutoring curriculum. Through his work and studies, he has built proficiency in curriculum delivery, data collection, and data analysis in software such as Stata. His primary research interests include performance-based, enrollment-based, and venture philanthropy funding evaluations in education. He is also thoroughly interested in educational philosophy, especially essentialist and progressivist frameworks. He holds a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University, where he double majored in Religious Studies and Communication Studies (with a rhetorical emphasis) and minored in Education Studies. He also worked as an associate special education teacher, a childcare teacher, and an intern for the U.S. Senate, where he specialized in education policy. He undertook these endeavors largely due to his past community service experience for special needs children. His goal is to pursue a Ph.D. in Education Policy. He hopes his research will aid in fostering an education system that prepares students for a well-informed life and a fruitful occupation.