Carlin Llorente is a researcher and evaluator in SRI International’s Center for Technology in Learning. He studies media and technology supported learning, afterschool programs and other informal and casual learning environments, informal science learning, and non-traditional forms of assessment. His interests center on how current and emerging technologies may support new opportunities for learning (and teaching), especially for the economically and socially disadvantaged. Carlin leads and contributes to a range of research, evaluation, and consulting projects, including the summative evaluation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s Ready to Learn initiative, the research study on Joint Engagement with Media within the Learning in Formal and Informal Environments (LIFE) Science of Learning Center, and the After School Science Networks study.

Eric Cuentos, as Director of the Parent Partner Program at Mission Graduates, seeks to develop the capacity of Latino parents to be strong partners in their children's academic success and effective advocates for educational needs all children in their school communities, especially those of English Language Learner students. Through his three-and-a-half years in this position, Eric has grown the program to have an on-site presence at 9 different Elementary, Middle and High Schools in the Mission District and surrounding neighborhoods. With a background in community and economic development and civic engagement in immigrant communities, Eric has continued to seek out opportunities throughout his career to support the self-determination and increased agency of historically marginalized communities, particularly those of Latino immigrants.

Ben York is the Executive Director of CEPA Labs, a branch of the Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) at Stanford University focused on the intersection of technology and behavior change. His research focuses on using technology to help students and educators, broadly defined, overcome the behavioral barriers associated with beneficial practices. For example, Ben recently co-led a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a literacy-focused text messaging intervention for low-income parents of preschoolers, which he co-developed with Susanna Loeb. The program had positive effects on parental involvement at home and school, which translated into student learning gains ranging from 0.21 to 0.34 standard deviations. He is currently co-leading the expansion of the intervention in California and beyond. Ben has led other large-scale RCTs and has professional experience in finance, education, and philanthropy.

Amber Maria Levinson, Ph.D. is Research Associate at Stanford Graduate School of Education where she helps to lead the TELOS initiative (Technology for Equity in Learning Opportunities). She is also Postdoctoral Scholar at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, where she contributes to the Families and Media Project. Her recent research examines how Hispanic-Latino immigrant families use media and opportunities for technology to support intergenerational language learning. Previously she worked with Dr. Brigid Barron on ethnographic studies of youth media creators and digital citizenship as part of the Digital Youth Network. Amber has a background in language teaching and media production, and is passionate about design and creating tools that support language minority families and other underserved groups. Prior to her doctoral studies Amber spent six years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she helped establish Cinema Nosso, a media arts program for youth from the city’s poorest areas, and also worked as a writer and associate producer on films for the BBC, National Geographic and others. Amber holds a Ph.D. in Education from Stanford University, an MA in Cultural History from Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro and an A.B. in Comparative Literature from Brown University.