Artineh Samkian

Artineh Samkian is a Professor of Clinical Education in the Rossier School of Education at the University Southern California. Her expertise and interests are in applied research methodology, teaching and learning of adults (andragogy), and foundations of education. Artineh’s professional research experience has spanned multiple contexts including pre–K-12, higher education contexts, and community research. Her professional focus and interest has been in utilizing rigorous methods and evidence to inform and improve practice in order to address educational inequities, especially by building other educational leaders’ capacity to do the same in their respective contexts.

Before coming to the USC Rossier School of Education, Artineh worked for the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Research and Planning Department overseeing, conducting, and reporting on program evaluations. Among other projects, she served as the Project Director and Principal Investigator of a study on the professional development provided to district leaders. The study was designed to provide formative feedback to key stakeholders in the district, thus informing the design and implementation of the professional development. More recently, Artineh worked as a Research Analyst at First 5 LA, an organization that funds health, safety, and early education programs for children prenatal to age five. Among other projects, she served as the project manager for the Universal Preschool Child Outcomes Study (UPCOS), which examined child progress from fall to spring for four-year-olds enrolled in Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP) programs. Additionally, she served as the Project Manager for the LAUP Coaching Program as well as an implementation evaluation of a place-based community initiative in 14 communities across Los Angeles County.

Artineh received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Research Methodology from the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and her B.A. in Anthropology from Occidental College.