Paul Koehler is the Director of the Policy Center at WestEd.

The Policy Center provides analyses, research, and assistance to policymakers, policy-focused organizations, and the media on current education issues. The Center is a voice at the state, regional, and national levels, keeping members of the U.S. Congress and other policy leaders informed of developments in research and practice. By examining all sides of complex issues, the Center provides objective, balanced views to create strategies for improvement, inform decisions, and highlight developments benefiting children and families.

Among Policy Center-produced products in 2008 was a paper informing Colorado's development of standards for 21st century skills and career/postsecondary readiness, and a trends paper synthesizing recent California education reform recommendations from the governor's office, key state research groups, and the superintendent of public instruction. Additionally, the Center is leading the California Mayors Education Roundtable, a collaborative multi-city effort to provide integrated and comprehensive support for urban youth.

Koehler also serves as Director of the Southwest Comprehensive Center, a technical assistance center funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The Center provides assistance to chief state school officers and their staffs in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah as they implement provisions of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act in their states.

Previously, Koehler served as Education Advisor to Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano from 2003–2009. He also served as Associate Superintendent of the Arizona Department of Education from 1989–1993. Prior to that, he was a district superintendent and assistant superintendent for 16 years and a classroom teacher for 10 years.

Koehler is responsible for numerous WestEd publications on topics such as improving the graduation rate, effects of full-day kindergarten, reforming teacher pay, and school leadership. He has been a presenter at numerous national conferences, most recently at the American Educational Research Association (discussing the role of mayors in the improvement of urban school districts), the Council of Chief State School Officers (on graduation rate calculations), and the American Association of School Administrators (on ethics in leadership).

He received a BS in business management from C.W. Post College, an MS in elementary education from Brooklyn College, and a PhD in elementary education and curriculum development from Arizona State University.