Co-Chairs (term 2 years)

• Debbie Kim (she/her) is a Senior Research Scientist focused on K-12 education at NORC at the University of Chicago. She employs institutional and organizational theory lenses to study the field of education policy. In particular, she studies policymaking and implementation, organizational decision-making, and access. Throughout her work, Debbie focuses on social inequities and the ways educational policies support or hinder more equitable outcomes for youth. Debbie employs a range of qualitative methods and co-design approaches to center participant voice throughout the research process. Prior to joining NORC, Debbie was a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern University and Tulane University. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University.  

• Alice Huguet (she/her) is a policy researcher focused on K–12 education at the RAND Corporation. She studies policies that influence the academic and life opportunities of students who have been historically underserved by educational institutions. Huguet employs qualitative methods to better understand complex environmental, institutional, and organizational factors that intersect with the design and implementation of such policies. Prior to joining RAND, Huguet was a postdoctoral research fellow at the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. She earned her Ph.D. in urban education policy from the University of Southern California, and her motivation to study education stems from five years teaching reading and history in Los Angeles middle schools. She is currently the co-director of RAND’s Center for Qualitative and Mixed Methods.

Co-Program Chairs (term 2 years) 

• Abigail Stein, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research explores the relationship between education policy and equitable instruction, drawing on perspectives from the learning sciences, organizational theory, and sociology. She is particularly interested in how districts and schools design and implement systems for instructional improvement and the role leaders and teachers play in policy implementation. To date, the context of most of her work has been elementary mathematics and early childhood instruction. She has presented this work at national research conferences and feedback sessions to participating schools and districts. She has also published in peer-reviewed journals and policy briefs. Dr. Stein holds a Ph.D. in the Learning Sciences from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. 
   
  

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• Joshua Childs is an assistant professor in the Educational Policy and Planning program in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. His research examines the role of inter-organizational networks and cross-sector collaborations to address complex educational issues. He also investigates collaborative approaches involving organizations (local, state, and national) that have the potential to improve academic achievement and opportunities for students in urban and rural schools. This includes ways to improve student engagement and attendance in school, interscholastic athletics, and expanding educational opportunities through concentrated policy design and implementation.
  
   

Secretary (term 2 years) 

• Elisabeth Kim, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Education and Leadership at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her research uses a mixed-methods approach to explore the links between education policy and educational equity, with a particular focus on how contemporary policies moderate or exacerbate inequities in districts that serve low-income students of color. Her research interests include equitable leadership, student discipline policy, bilingual education, access to STEM coursework and FAFSA completion. She is co-editor of a volume entitled Equity Doesn’t Just Happen: Stories of Education Leaders Working Toward Social Justice published by Rowman & Littlefield in Feb. 2023.

Graduate Student Representative

• Daniel Dawer (he/him) is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Planning Program at the University of Texas at Austin. His research examines how neoliberal education reform shapes K-12 schools and districts as organizations. Using sociological methods, he studies how accountability interventions, such as school turnaround and state takeover, affect teacher working conditions, student learning opportunities, and community participation in educational governance and decision making. He also considers how practicing educators can partner with students, families, and communities to implement equitable, democratic approaches to school improvement. Daniel completed his BA in English and Plan II Honors at the University of Texas at Austin and his Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to his graduate work at UT, he taught in Austin-area public schools for over a decade.