Robert Manwaring is a senior policy analyst at Education Sector. In this capacity, Manwaring directs Education Sector's K–12 accountability work.

Manwaring comes to Education Sector after a decade-long career working within California's education community. He is widely respected in the state for the innovative reform ideas that he has proposed at the state level. In 2006, Manwaring became the director of policy for the Governor's Committee on Education Excellence, a committee California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed to develop a comprehensive long-term reform strategy for improving K–12 education in the state. Manwaring served as the lead policy adviser to the committee and was the primary author of the committee's "Students First" technical report, which recommends specific policies to comprehensively overhaul the state’s education finance, governance and accountability; teacher and administrator training and retention programs; early education policies; and education data system. Manwaring also played a key role in advising the California State Board of Education on developing strategies to implement the federal No Child Left Behind law in the state.

Prior, Manwaring served as the K–12 education director of the California Legislative Analyst's Office, where he was a key adviser to state policymakers on school finance, school accountability, and low performing schools policy. In this role, he annually analyzed the governor's education budget and participated in annual televised broadcasts viewed by an estimated 5,000 educators and policymakers. He also testified regularly to the Legislature on a wide variety of early education and K–12 education topics.

Manwaring has extensive knowledge of statistical and quantitative tools, including training and teaching experience in graduate level econometrics and academic research using various statistical methodologies. He is the author of several papers on school finance and accountability issues. He holds a master's degree in economics from the University of California, Davis and received a bachelor's of science degree in the same subject from California Polytechnic University.