Lacy Wood

Lacy Wood is a principal TA consultant for AIR. Wood has over 20 years of experience with information and support systems for school improvement and over 19 years of experience in family and community engagement. In her current role, Wood is the associate project director supporting technical assistance for the Department of Education’s new Statewide Family Engagement Center program, currently working with ED to support implementation and collection of evidence-based practice and redesign of the program’s annual performance reporting system.

Wood directs the statewide Illinois Quality Afterschool Program, providing oversight for training, professional development, and technical assistance to all 21st CCLC grantees in Illinois and building the capacity of SEA staff since 2013. She is the engagement/dissemination lead and Texas Liaison for the REL Southwest that serves Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico including implementation of in-person and web-based national events that help translate high-leverage research to practice and bringing the work of the REL Southwest’s six partnerships on topics including college and career readiness, school improvement, teacher preparation and professional development, early childhood education, English Learners, and networked improvement communities to stakeholders across the country. Wood leads the statewide Texas Council on Family-School Engagement for the Texas Education agency and chairs the Family Engagement State Leaders Network, a cadre of SEA family engagement staff across the United States, focused on providing resources and capacity building supports for SEA family engagement initiatives.

Previously, Wood led policy work for the Texas Comprehensive Center supporting policy work focused on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Texas Education Agency’s ESSA Consolidated State Plan Development, and ESSA implementation. Wood also led the Wyoming Family Engagement Project, a district pilot and initiative designed to inform strategic development of Wyoming Department of Education’s statewide family engagement framework and initiatives, help increase Wyoming educator’s knowledge and use of research-based strategies for planning and implementing family engagement programs, and assist districts in promoting integration of family engagement across their school improvement efforts. Previously she was the director of development and the program manager for the Afterschool, Family, and Community unit at SEDL.

Wood's expertise also includes expanded learning opportunities; education reform and school improvement tools; dissemination and knowledge utilization; research-based instructional resources; program development; proposal planning, development, and coordination; and business development. Wood also has extensive experience working with federal grantee programs and supporting State Education Agency staff to implement federal initiatives including 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Reading First, Smaller Learning Communities, and the Comprehensive School Reform programs. Since 2000, Wood has worked with SEDL’s National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools. In this role, she conducts training sessions and workshops on family and community involvement; gathers and disseminates family involvement research and resources; and develops and manages information management tools and services. She currently serves as vice-chair of the National Association of Family, School and Community Engagement policy committee is a founding board of the association.