Meryle Weinstein is a Research Associate Professor of Education Policy at the Steinhardt School for Culture, Education and Human Development. She teaches the Capstone in the Education and Social Policy program and Cracking the Code: Understanding Research in Education and Social Policy for undergraduates. She is interested in issues of inequality and education, particularly around resources and performance and examines issues outside of the school that may influence student achievement and success. Her current work focuses on neighborhood institutions and their role in supporting educational achievement, including an evaluation of Urban Advantage, a multi-year professional development program for middle-school science teachers, administered by the American Museum of Natural History and a study of a residency Master's in Teaching program for Earth Science, also offered by the American Museum of Natural History. She also works studying school food policies and their implications on student health. Prior to coming to NYU, Weinstein studied substance abuse and HIV in San Francisco. She received her doctorate from the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at NYU.