Shawn Edmondson

Throughout his career, Shawn has been driven by his passion for improving student outcomes by empowering educators with innovative tools. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Utah State University, where his dissertation, funded by the US Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences (IES), explored the impact of video technology on teacher professional development (PD). He co-founded and served as CEO of thereNow, a company that pioneered the use of video for teacher PD and education research, which was later acquired by IRIS Connect. He has led multiple significant research grants, including a successful Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project.

As Director of Strategic Initiatives at Washington STEM, Shawn led an implementation and evaluation of IRIS Connect across the state of Washington. He has presented on the role of video for teacher PD at academic conferences and events worldwide for organisations including Harvard University, NATO, Learning Forward, the International Reading Association, and the Institute of Education Sciences.

Central to his approach is collaborating with researchers, enhancing how they collect and analyse classroom observation data. These studies are essential for helping us to understand what works in education. He has collaborated on numerous education policy research projects utilising IRIS Connect for classroom observations, partnering with organisations such as Mathematica Policy Research, Harvard University’s Center for Education Policy Research (CEPR), the American Institutes for Research, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Shawn is also passionate about travelling around the world – sometimes by motorcycle. He has created four feature-length documentaries about his motorcycle adventures in Alaska, the Yukon, Iceland, the Himalayas, and Vietnam.