Welcome! My name is Hannah Denker.

I am a Research Assistant Professor in the Office for Education Policy, a research center within the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas. My research focuses on early childhood education policy. I use quantitative methods to understand what makes early childhood experiences beneficial to young children. Exploring this topic, I’ve worked with school districts in Colorado and Massachusetts, in addition to the Arkansas, Virginia, and Maryland State Departments of Education. I have also explored how classroom assessment can be more equitable through my work as a research associate with Lyons Assessment Consulting.

Before receiving my Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023, I earned a B.S. and a M.S. in Education from Oklahoma State University and was an elementary teacher for four years in the Wichita Public School District.