Mary Styers headshot

Mary Styers, Ph.D.

Director of Evidence and Learning Strategy

Dr. Mary Styers is the Director of Evidence and Learning Strategy at Instructure. In this role, she leads the integration of rigorous research and learning sciences into Instructure’s global narrative and product ecosystem. With over 25 years of research experience and 19 years focused specifically on education research and curriculum evaluation, Dr. Styers is an expert in bridging the gap between research rigor and practice. A certified What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewer, she has overseen hundreds of impact studies aligned with ESSA and SEER standards. Dr. Styers is a passionate advocate for evidence literacy, focusing her work on making complex data accessible and actionable for school administrators and teachers to improve student outcomes. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Developmental Psychology from North Carolina State University.

More From Mary Styers, Ph.D.

Sep 29, 2026
K-12 Started the Edtech Quality Conversation. Higher Education Delivers its Own Answer in Our First Edtech Top 40 for Higher Education.
Edtech and AI quality matters. When we think about whether either solution type works in a K-12 or higher education classroom, we should always ask about the quality of these solutions first.What defines quality? 1EdTech, CAST, CoSN, Digital Promise, InnovateEDU, ISTE, and SETDA proposed five areas (i.e., safety, research evidence, inclusivity, usability, interoperability) that K-12 should consider when reviewing and vetting tools for the classroom. For the first time, our Edtech Top 40 Read More...