Sara Haviland is a research scientist at the ETS Research Institute who examines the social, policy, organizational, and individual factors that affect work and careers. She is particularly interested in how educational interventions and career development can improve individuals’ career trajectories and opportunities for movement into higher socioeconomic statuses. She also examines issues of educational access and training for adult learners and career pathway development. She served on various grant-funded projects, with funding from state, federal, and foundation sources.
She currently works in the Education and Career Development center. In this role, she leads research examining career and technical education and workforce development through community colleges, focusing on noncredit education, labor market alignment, strategies to address skill misalignments, and employer engagement. She also examines educational pathways and access, with a particular focus on the role of holistic admissions, test optional policies and their impact on equity in admissions, and work access, including skill demonstration and behavioral competency training.
Prior to joining ETS in 2019, she was a senior researcher at the Education and Employment Research Center at Rutgers University. There she served as a co-principal investigator on two Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training single institution evaluation grants, and a co-investigator on two TAACCCT consortium evaluation grants. She earned a Ph.D. in sociology (specializing in organizations, occupations, and work) from the University of North Carolina in 2011.
Sara Haviland | LinkedIn
Last updated: 1/3/2025