Thomas Torre Gibney is a Senior Research Associate and Project Director at WestEd. He collaborates with schools, districts, states, and other partners to help identify what works in their programs.
Torre Gibney’s research focuses on policies intended to improve equitable access to educational opportunities and reduce inequalities in schools. At WestEd, he designs mixed-methods research and evaluation studies on a variety of educational interventions, including college and career readiness policies, career and technical education (CTE) programs, and school improvement initiatives.
His recent work includes a national study of the college-going behaviors of high school students who participate in education and career planning activities and includes quasi-experimental evaluations of a certification program for new teachers of students who are English learners, a mathematics enrichment program, a regional college scholarship program, and several district magnet programs. Torre Gibney’s research combines rigorous quantitative analytic approaches with qualitative methodologies to understand implementation variation and stakeholder perceptions.
Prior to joining WestEd, Torre Gibney designed and implemented CTE policy for the Division of College, Career, and Technical Education at the Tennessee Department of Education. There, he managed a multiyear process to revise the state’s CTE standards, leading the department’s research to align programs of study with postsecondary pathways and regional labor market needs.
Torre Gibney earned his MPP in Education Policy from Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development.