Ben Cronkright (he/him/his) is a senior technical assistance specialist II at Child Trends, where he also serves as the co-director for the US Department of Education’s Pacific East Regional Comprehensive Center. Ben has led K-12 technical assistance projects focused on solving complex problems and elevating innovative solutions within education agencies. At Child Trends, Ben helps school teams and communities generate transformational change in education to ensure every student can live a fulfilling, healthy, and dignified life. 

For nearly a decade, Ben has worked with stakeholders at all levels of the education system, including board of education members, state education agency staff, state and district superintendents, and school faculty. Through these interactions, he has provided easy-to-understand, research-based insights to develop more equitable and just education systems that better meet school community needs. His expertise spans a variety of topics, including strengthening teacher pipelines, family and community engagement, school and district leadership, and systems improvement. 

Prior to joining Child Trends, Ben led K-12 research-practice partnerships to address high-priority challenges in schools within the Regional Education Laboratory in Hawai’i, Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia, and in the Central Plains states through the U.S. Department of Education Comprehensive Center Program. Ben also served as the federal programs manager/academic officer for the Hawaii State Charter School Commission, an elementary school principal, and a high school vice principal in Michigan.