Tom Liam Lynch, a leading scholar and practitioner working at what he calls “the intersection of education, technology, and policy,” will become the new director of education policy and editor-in-chief of InsideSchools at the Center for New York City Affairs (CNYCA) at The New School. He is expected to formally join CNYCA in January.

“We are delighted to welcome Tom to the Center for New York City Affairs,” said executive director Kristin Morse. “Our education work ranges from rigorous policy research to improve the public school system to practical guidance for parents. In Tom we found a kindred spirit who understands the challenges facing struggling schools, is committed to a robust public conversation about public schools, and has the creative and technical skills to advance InsideSchools.”

Currently an Associate Professor of Educational Technology at Pace University in Manhattan, Lynch received his doctorate in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University and has written extensively on technology in educational settings, most recently exploring ways to integrate computer science into K-12 humanities classes. He is the co-founder of a center for digital humanities pedagogy and research at Pace and the author of dozens of publications, including the book The Hidden Role of Software in Educational Research: Policy to Practice.

Lynch is a former high school English teacher and has consistently remained engaged with the City’s public schools. Lynch worked with the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to implement iLearnNYC, an online/blended learning program in 120 schools providing students with access to Advanced Placement, language, and elective courses not otherwise available to them. He then partnered with the DOE to develop a digital professional development and resource tool for 80,000 teachers called WeTeachNYC. Lynch has also worked directly with individual schools to support them in improving literacy curricula and classroom instruction.

“For half a century, CNYCA has been dedicated to helping shape the public discourse in our city, providing sharp and timely insights on an array of pressing topics,” Lynch said. “I am honored to work with its education team in listening to the needs of communities, in reimagining what it means to effect change, and in making the daily dynamics of public education more accessible and actionable than ever, for all New Yorkers.”

InsideSchools has a well-earned reputation as a trusted, independent, and authoritative source of information about the city’s schools. Its website receives some 1.5 million independent visits each year. CNYCA’s education policy work has produced timely and well-researched reports on subjects ranging from improving math and science instruction in the city’s high schools to evaluating the data-driven management of schools instituted by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Its Integration Project regularly conducts ongoing examinations of how New York can achieve greater racial and economic integration in its public school system.