Between 2002 and 2008, she worked at the OECD, leading two major international studies on assessment and evaluation, including Formative Assessment: Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms (2005), and Teaching, Learning and Assessment for Adults: Improving Foundation Skills (2008). She was Associate Director of the Institute for Public Policy and Management at the University of Washington (1996 – 2002), and a Program Examiner in the Education Branch of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of the President (1994-1996).