Emily DVertola

Emily D’Vertola

Education Policy Analyst

Emily D’Vertola is an Education Policy Analyst with the Commonwealth Foundation.

Emily recently earned her MSc in Social and Policy Sciences from Ulster University, Northern Ireland. Her research focused on global comparative education policy and pedagogy, high-stakes testing, funding, and the impact of choice. She holds a BS in International Business from Cabrini University and received her data science certification in R from Harvard University. 

Before joining the Commonwealth Foundation, Emily spent three years researching and reporting on the state of education in New York. She was a contributing author for the historic foundation aid study commissioned by Gov. Kathy Hochul at the Rockefeller Institute and the education policy analyst at the Empire Center for Public Policy. 

Her passion for improving the educational landscape comes from her schooling background. A member of the first graduating class at a grassroots, nonprofit, K–12 public charter school in Pennsylvania, Emily witnessed first-hand since Kindergarten what is possible when schools are free to operate and what is possible for students of all backgrounds when they are free to exercise choice.

Emily loves spending time with her big extended family, putting her own spin on their traditional recipes, taking and teaching ballet, and being outside with a good book or podcast. Her favorite authors include Thomas Sowell, Stephen M. Barr, and Madeleine L’Engle.