Ben York is the Executive Director of CEPA Labs, a branch of the Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at Stanford University focused on the intersection of technology and behavior change. His research focuses on using technology to help students and educators, broadly defined, overcome the behavioral barriers associated with beneficial practices. For example, Ben recently co-led a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a literacy-focused text messaging intervention for low-income parents of preschoolers, which he co-developed with Susanna Loeb. The program had positive effects on parental involvement at home and school, which translated into student learning gains ranging from 0.21 to 0.34 standard deviations. He is currently co-leading the expansion of the intervention in California and beyond. Ben has led other large-scale RCTs and has professional experience in finance, education, and philanthropy.
