Amber B. Sansbury-Scott

Amber B. Sansbury-Scott is a National Poverty Fellow for 2024–2026 in residence in the Division of Data and Improvement (DDI) at the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). Sansbury-Scott completed her Ph.D. in Education, with a focus on Early Care and Education Policy from the College of Education & Human Development at George Mason University. She also holds an M.Ed. in Early Childhood Education Curriculum and Instruction for Diverse Learners from George Mason University. As a 2023-24 National Head Start Dissertation Grant funded study, Sansbury-Scott’s dissertation investigated how African American families and ECE teachers’ cultural values and race-related beliefs can strengthen family-teacher partnerships for young African American children’s racial identity development. Her scholarship broadly centers on parent voice, childcare decision-making for Black and immigrant families in the South, Head Start policy and program evaluation, and community-based participatory approaches to family engagement. Her research interests were shaped by her professional expertise in ECE systemic issues (e.g., stratification and barriers to school readiness) gained while working as a labor advocate and policy analyst for ten years prior to pursuing her doctorate. Sansbury-Scott is mentored by IRP affiliate Brenda Jones Harden and Amanda Coleman in the Division of Child and Family Development within the Administration of Children and Families in HHS.