view all papers by Krista Kafer

summary:
After four years of working under the Capitol Dome, Krista Kafer joined The Heritage Foundation in 2001 as our Senior Policy Analyst for Education. She researches and writes on all aspects of education policy, including school choice, standardized testing and education funding.

Shortly after settling in at Heritage, Kafer produced two papers that helped define the lines of debate over what was to become “The No Child Left Behind Act” - the education reform bill ultimately enacted into law early this year. Her analysis of the strengths--and weaknesses--of both Senate and House versions of the bill were the first analyses published on either proposal.

A principled and informed advocate of providing children consigned to “non-performing” public schools with meaningful education options, Kafer is a popular lecturer and debater on school voucher initiatives, charter school programs and other school-choice topics.

Prior to joining Heritage, Kafer served as Legislative Director and Senior Legislative Assistant to U.S. Rep. David McIntosh, R-Ind., a member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. She drafted and helped promote legislation introduced in the committee and also analyzed all proposals considered by the committee, preparing background reports, briefing materials and speeches addressing the full range of education policy considerations. Additionally, Kafer oversaw the Congressman’s legislative staff and advised him on health care, environment and Social Security issues.

Earlier, she served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Rep. Bob Schaffer, R-Colo., also a member of the Education and Workforce Committee. In addition to staffing Schaffer’s work on that committee, she handled health and judiciary issues for him.

Kafer graduated from the University of Colorado-Denver in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in history. A native of Littleton, Colo., she now lives in Washington, D.C.

Her work has been cited in leading newspapers including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Education Week, Chicago Tribune,  and Boston Globe and magazines such as Business Week and Forbes. A popular commentator on education issues, she has appeared on numerous radio and television programs including FOX News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes" and "The Big Story with John Gibson," Chris Mathew's "Hardball" on MSNBC, PBS's "DebatesDebates," Westwood One's "Jim Bohannon Show," and NPR's "Talk of the Nation."