MSW, Washington University in St. Louis, 2013
MPH, Washington University in St. Louis, 2013
BA, Economics, University of Pennsylvania, 2006
I study the spread, implementation, and institutionalization of trauma-informed approaches (TIAs) in education and beyond. I draw on a combination of institutional theory, sensemaking theory, and critical theories of race to explore the connection between TIAs and equitable organizational change.
Master in Public Administration, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, 2020
Master in Economic Analysis, University of Sao Paulo, 2015
Bachelor of International Relations, Pontificia Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo, 2013
The interplay between identity development, culture, and learning; the implementation of pedagogical practices and policies that can shift the development of students’ ethnic-racial identities to the center of the educational experience; the impacts of culturally sustaining pedagogies on students' academic and social lives.
AM, Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, 2013
MPP, University of Chicago, 2013
BA, Sociology, University of Michigan, 2010
Jennifer Cowhy is interested in researching how schools can better serve students who have experienced adverse childhood experiences ad students with IEPs. Prior to studying at Northwestern, Jen worked at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, where she studied the implementation of several policy and program implementations in Chicago Public Schools.
MS, Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2020
BA, Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018
I am interested in topics related to educational neuroscience; more specifically, exploring how neuroscience can be applied within academic contexts to improve instructional practices, school policies, and educational outcomes within underserved communities.
Ed.M., Human Development and Social Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2018
BA.LLB., ILS Law College Pune, 2012
I am interested in the implementation of education policies in school systems by stakeholders who play a leadership role, school and district leaders as well as players in the private sector like curriculum providers and non-profit leaders. I am using institutional analysis as an overarching framework in my current work. I am exploring questions related to social justice leadership and social capital generation as they intersect with school leaders' personal identities and their (mis)match with the student demographics.
MS in Education, Culture and Society, Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania, 2020
MS in Nonprofit Leadership, School of Social Policy and Practice at University of Pennsylvania, 2020
BA in Secondary Education: English, Brooklyn College, 2018
My research explores the challenges that housing insecurity and homelessness have on young people, particularly as it relates to their education and social and emotional development. It also looks at the ways that social policies and programs interact with young people who experience these conditions and ways that these interactions can be improved to best support them.
EdM, International Education Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2013
BA, Mathematics and English, University of Iowa, 2007
Transition from high school to postsecondary education; college access and success; identity development; quantitative methods; casual methods
julia.r.honoroff@u.northwestern.edu
BA, Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015
Early care and education, poverty and welfare, child and family policy.
Master in Education Policy and Management, Harvard University, 2021
Bachelor in Business Administration, Emory University, 2015
Vishal’s research interests are in studying gender identity development to create and support social policies that foster responsible, healthy masculinity. Previously Vishal has worked as an independent DEI consultant, non-profit director, undergraduate career advisor, and management consultant.
rebeccalawrence2026@u.northwestern.edu
Website
BA, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, 2019
BA, Health Behavior and Society, University of Rochester, 2019
My research focuses on the social, emotional, and identity development of students from marginalized communities as they transition from high school to university. My current work examines higher education policies and initiatives that support first-generation, low-income, and students of color in pursuing their academic and professional goals.
BA, Economics with Public Policy, University of Virginia, 2014
Inequality and stratification, race and ethnicity, gender, migration, welfare policy, knowledge production, mixed methods.
shanequelove2027@u.northwestern.edu
BA, African American Studies, Loyola Marymount University
My research interest investigates how Black mothers' experiences with the child welfare system influences their political knowledge. More specifically, I examine their experiences by using the theory of family policing.
cmackevicius@u.northwestern.edu
BA, Economics, University of Chicago, 2014
Critical Quantitative Methods // K-12 Education Finance // Mixed Methods // Resource (Re)distribution Policy
BS, Economics, Universidad de Chile, 2008
MPP, Universidad de Chile, 2014
MA Human Development and Social Policy, 2023, Northwestern University
School policy, causal inference, bullying, mental health.
marcia.maxson@u.northwestern.edu
Master of Public Administration, University of Colorado Denver, 2024
Bachelor of Public Service, University of Colorado Denver, 2020
My research interrogates the intersection of education policy and foster youth outcomes, with a particular emphasis on the structural mechanisms that shape their social mobility. Employing a mixed-methods approach, I integrate quantitative analysis with qualitative inquiry to critically examine how policies and programs mediate access to educational and economic opportunities. By engaging policymakers, program administrators, and foster youth themselves, my work seeks to challenge deficit-based narratives and illuminate the systemic barriers embedded within policy design and implementation. Ultimately, I aim to advance equity-driven, transformative solutions that center the lived experiences and agency of marginalized populations.
melaniemuskin@u.northwestern.edu
Website
MA in Organization and Leadership, Teachers College at Columbia University
BA in Cognitive Science, Vassar College
Teacher Activism; Social Movements; Professional Dignity; Early Childhood Education; Educational Leadership; Participatory Design Research
zinanoel@northwestern.edu
Website
BA, International Affairs, Lewis & Clark College, 2013
M.Ed, International Education Policy, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2019
Post-Bac, Early Childhood Education Policy, University of Minnesota, 2020
My research focuses on the intersections between early childhood development and civic society development, exploring how social policy and individual children and their families interact with and influence one another. My current research utilizes critical and ecological theories to unpack identity development among multiracial children, new parents, and early educators within the context of U.S. family and child policy. Early childhood policy; Early care and education; social policy; identity development; critical theory
leahouellet@u.northwestern.edu
MS from the Department of Criminal Justice at Wayne State University
BA from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan
I study human development and punishment in the context of carceral policy and practice.
B.S. Economics and Public Policy Analysis, The Ohio State University (2018)
K-12 education policy; social inequity; economics of education
BA, Political Science, Davidson College, 2020
Social identity development; Implementation of welfare policies; Societal perceptions of belonging and deservingness
MA in History, Yale University
BA in History, Yale University
I research the history and politics of educational policymaking, with a focus on how racial and sexual politics since the Civil Rights Movement have shaped educational research and decisions at federal and state levels about curriculum, testing, school quality, and school choice.
MA, Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University, 2016
MA, International Relations, University of Chicago, 2009
MA, Public Policy, University of Chicago, 2009
BA, Politics, Princeton University
Intersection of vocational psychology and sociology of work, sense of calling in the work role, meaning, purpose, vocation, narrative identity, cultural discourses about work and motivation, work orientation, adult development, generativity, pro-social work, educational leadership, artists, gig economy, precarious work.
karlathomas2026@u.northwestern.edu
MA, Human Development and Social Policy, Northwestern University, 2024
MBA, Management & Organizations, Northwestern University, 2005
BS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Mississippi, 2000
Karla Thomas is a Critical Race Scholar who is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern, where she researches parent, teacher, and community acts of resistance, defiance, and dream-building in the face of anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ education policy. Her current dissertation, “Smuggling Black Truths: Blackcrit Sensemaking Amidst the Disruption and Expansion of Black Liberatory Educational Possibilities,” interrogates how Black parents, Black educators, and Black churches make sense of and resist Florida’s regressive education policies while also expanding opportunities for Black education. Her ongoing collaborative research efforts explore the invisible ways Black parents and communities participate in the struggle for a just Black education in the face of anti-Blackness through activism, political advocacy, and educating the educators and community on issues of race and racism.
Higher education; community colleges; education finance; labor markets
MEd in Development, Education, and International Cooperation; Minor on Educational Leadership, University of Jyväskyla, Finland, 2021
BA in International Relations; Concentration in East Asia, Boston University, 2013
My work focuses on women and explores the concept of agency and intersectionality in relation to political learning, civic education, leadership, and networking.
M.A., Economics, University of Virginia
B.S., Mathematics, Morehouse College
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
MS, Policy Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2016
BA, Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2014
Adolescent social, emotional, academic, and neurocognitive development; age discrimination; cross-cultral comparison; parental influence on adolescent development
MS, Psychology, National Taiwan University
BA, English, National Taiwan Normal University
Emotion and motivation; self- and emotion regulation; interpersonal relationships; well-being; goal pursuit; culture; health