Courtney L. Plumley, Senior Researcher at Horizon Research, Inc. (HRI), received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Education degree from North Carolina State University. Prior to coming to HRI in 2009, she taught at the elementary level and worked as a Geosciences editor for a higher education textbook publisher. Her research interests include mathematics and science professional development for elementary teachers.

Ms. Plumley has worked on several research projects in her time at HRI, including All Included in Mathematics (Project AIM), Peers Engaged as Resources in Learning (PEARL), Knowledge Assets to Support the Science Instruction of Elementary Teachers (ASSET), and the 2018 National Survey of Science and Mathematics (NSSME+). She has managed the evaluation of several projects, including Teachers and Engineers Collaborating in STEM Elementary Teacher Preparation (Trinect), Synchronous Online Professional Learning Experiences for Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers in Rural Contexts (SyncOn), and the Think Math+C: Integrating Programming into a Comprehensive K–5 Mathematics Curriculum (TM+C) project. She recently assisted with a report on the current landscape of K-12 science education in the United States.