Kara Helzner
Kara Helzner
Research Analyst
Family Well-Being and Children’s Development

Helzner serves as a research analyst and resource manager in the Family Well-Being and Children’s Development policy area. She supports project teams by developing and maintaining project budgets, contracts, project proposals, work plans, and progress reports, and serves as a liaison for funding agencies and project partners. Her current portfolio of projects includes Research-Practice Partnership with Acelero Learning, Building and Sustaining the Early Care and Education Workforce (BASE) and Head Start Connects. Before joining MDRC in 2022, Helzner worked as a project manager in the Office of School Climate and Culture in the School District of Philadelphia. In addition, she was a K-12 English teacher in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Texas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education from Millersville University and a master’s degree in education policy from the University of Pennsylvania.