Milbrey McLaughlin is the David Jacks professor of education at Stanford University, and serves as the co-director of the Center for Research on the Context of Teaching. She is also co-principal investigator of a multi-year project that examines community-based resources for at-risk youth in diverse community settings and directs the Pew Forum on Educational Reform. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford University, Dr. McLaughlin served as a senior social scientist at the Rand Corporation.

Dr. McLaughlin is the author or co-author of numerous books, articles and chapters on education policy issues, contexts for teaching and learning, productive environments for youth and community-based organizations. Her recent book, Community Counts: How Youth Organizations Matter for Youth Development, calls for communities to rethink how they design and deliver services for youth, particularly during the non-school hours.