WestEd Research Assistant Daniel Mello conducts research on program implementation, equity in education, and teacher improvement.

As a member of Learning Innovations (LI) at WestEd, Mello is assessing the status of Response to Intervention (RtI) initiatives in the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands region, which encompasses Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Vermont. Given the emphasis that the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 places on RtI, this study assesses the progress of implementation at the state level.

As part of his REL work in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Mello is studying the academic performance of Hispanic students, who make up 17% of the student population in the Islands. The study will inform policy decisions for the growing Hispanic population on the island of St. Thomas, as well as other policies throughout the Virgin Islands. Mello contributes to data analysis and interpretation, as well as Spanish translations, helping to extend WestEd's capabilities in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Prior to joining WestEd, Mello taught mathematics to both general education and English learners at the Lyndon Pilot School in West Roxbury, MA. To supplement his classroom work, he fostered self-esteem and social development, as well as cultural interaction, among students with different ethnic backgrounds. He also taught mathematics in the high school acceleratory summer program at Balfour Academy, Roxbury, MA, and gave a presentation on the prospects of higher education to a group of Boston high school students.

Mello received a BS in mathematics from Northeastern University. He attended the Universidad de Sevilla in Spain, where he studied the Spanish language and literature, and the culture of oppressed peoples of Andalucia. Mello also attended the SEA Education Association, where he carried out independent research in biological and physical oceanography.