Brooke Dollens Terry is an education policy analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Since joining the Foundation in October of 2006, she has written extensively on the math/science teacher shortage, teacher incentive pay, charter schools, teacher certification, end-of-course assessments, career and technology education, and a host of other k-12 education issues. Her work has been published in numerous publications including the Dallas Morning News, the Houston Chronicle, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the San Antonio Express-News. Her research has also been mentioned in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, Education Week, and other prominent publications.

Before joining the Foundation, she worked at the Texas Workforce Commission in government relations and as a policy analyst for Commissioner Diane Rath. At the Workforce Commission, Brooke researched and analyzed childcare, welfare, foster care, food stamps, and a host of other workforce issues.

Brooke spent three years on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. working for U.S. Senators Phil Gramm, John Cornyn and Richard Lugar as a legislative assistant. During that time she analyzed federal legislation and policy in the areas of abortion, banking, children nutrition, cloning, housing, education, welfare, judiciary, and social issues.

Brooke has also spent several months observing Texas public schools firsthand as a substitute in a range of positions and schools including working as a long-term substitute teaching 5th grade and American history and government in Seguin ISD.

During college, Brooke interned in U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s press office in Washington D.C., and in former-Governor George W. Bush’s criminal justice division in Austin. Brooke graduated cum laude from Baylor University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

Brooke is a fifth generation Texan. She grew up in Houston and graduated from Cypress-Creek high school. Brooke and her husband Thomas reside in Austin and attend Austin Stone Community Church.