View CV

Bio

Lam D. Pham is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. A first generation Vietnamese immigrant, Lam grew up attending schools serving primarily students from low-income backgrounds and students of color. These firsthand experiences shape his research, which investigates policies that affect the educator workforce (e.g., compensation, professional learning, performance evaluation), especially in low-performing schools. He received his Ph.D. in K-12 Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Vanderbilt University, specializing in quantitative methods. Before his doctoral studies, Lam received a Fulbright award (Vietnam), taught math in a turnaround high school in Oklahoma City, and served as an instructional coach for Oklahoma City Public Schools. He received a B.A. in chemistry from Harvard University.

Selected Scholarly Publications

• Pham, L. D., Matthews, G. F., Jackson, M., Singleton, D. T., Yoo, S. (2026). How do Principals Navigate Increased Autonomy over School Reform? An Analysis using Structure-Agency Theory. Educational Finance and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1162/EDFP.a.473
• Pham, L. D., Corcoran, S. P., Henry, G. T., Zimmer, R. (2024). Do the Effects Last? An Examination of the Long-Term Academic Effects of School Turnaround. American Educational Research Journal, 62(1), 180-213. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312241284026
• Pham, L. D., Matthews, G. F., Drake, T. A. (2024) Beyond Prescriptive Reforms: An Examination of North Carolina’s Flexible School Restart Program. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737231218735
• Pham, L. D. (2023). Teachers are Not Lemons: An Examination of Spillover Effects when Teachers Transfer Away from Turnaround Schools. Educational Researcher. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X231175148
• Pham, L. D. (2021). Why Do We Find these Effects? An Examination of Mediating Pathways Explaining the Effects of School Turnaround. Journal of Research in Educational Effectiveness. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2022.2081276 
• Pham, L. D., Nguyen, T. D., & Springer, M. G. (2020). Teacher Merit Pay: A Meta-Analysis. American Educational Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831220905580
• Pham, L. D., Henry, G. T., Kho, A., & Zimmer, R. (2020). Sustainability and Maturation of School Turnaround: A Multiyear Evaluation of Tennessee’s Achievement School District and Local Innovation Zones. AERA Open. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858420922841

Courses Taught

•  Applied Quantitative Methods in Education I
•  Applied Quantitative Methods in Education II

Honors and Awards

• Early Career Award, Association for Educational Finance and Policy
• Outstanding Long Policy Report Award, AERA Division L
• Early Career Award, AERA Division A
• Early Career Award, AERA School Effectiveness and School Improvement Special Interest Group
• Early Career Award, AERA Innovative School Transformation and Reform Special Interest Group
• Fulbright Fellowship, Vietnam
• Equity and Inclusion Fellowship, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
• Barbara L. Jackson Scholar, University Council for Educational Administration
• Russell G. Hamilton Dissertation Enhancement Grant

Area(s) of Expertise

Education Policy, Quantitative Analysis, Teacher Workforce, School Accountability, School Improvement, Educational Leadership, Research Practice Partnerships