Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

Franklin Jones, Jr.

Franklin Jones, Jr., is a lecturer in Deaf Studies at BU Wheelock. His primary role involves instructing students in American Sign Language (ASL) at various proficiency levels. His research interests include Black American Sign Language (BASL) and its historical origins, linguistic intricacies, and cultural significance, as well as the resilience of Black Deaf males in […]

Stephanie Belinda Joseph

Ms. Stephanie B. Joseph is a doctoral student in educational leadership and policy studies at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. She’s a Roxbury, Mass., native and of Antiguan background. Stephanie is an advanced licensed professional school social worker/school adjustment counselor in Massachusetts, and her career has focused on social work and […]

Simran Kalkat

Simran Kalkat is a research fellow at the Wheelock Educational Policy Center, where she works primarily with Dr. Pia Caronongan on a research partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care to better understand the policies and practices that support Massachusett’s early educator workforce. Prior to joining WEPC, Ms. Kalkat worked as a […]

Nicole Kingdon

Nicole Kingdon is a doctoral student in the Educational Studies program with a concentration in language and literacy education at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Additionally, she is a graduate research fellow at the Center on the Ecology of Early Development (CEED), where she supports the Language & Literacy for Liberation […]

Jennifer Lillis

Dr. Jennifer Lillis is a research scientist at the Wheelock Education Policy Center at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. In this role, she investigates the roles and working conditions of special educators, aiming to improve support systems and instructional quality. Her research also focuses on enhancing college and career readiness, and […]

Mingyan Ma

Mingyan Ma is a doctoral student in educational policy studies at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. She is also a research assistant at the Wheelock Educational Policy Center (WEPC). Her research uses quantitative causal inference methods to estimate the impacts of educational interventions on student outcomes. Previously, she was a senior research […]

Rayna B. Minors

Dr. Rayna B. Minors is a part-time instructor at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her tenure of over a decade within the Boston Public Schools system, both as a teacher and administrator, has been marked by transformative leadership and mentorship and influenced the trajectories of countless educators and youth providers. With […]

Sarah Parker

Sarah Parker is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership & Policy program at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Sarah’s research explores teacher preparation and mentorship, particularly in smaller private and public institutions. In addition, she is interested in exploring how those preparation and mentor programs increase teacher retention. Sarah is the […]

Maria Pokrovskaya

Maria Pokrovskaya is a doctoral student in higher education leadership at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Maria’s research is dedicated to bridging global talent and higher education, designing strategies that scale innovative programs, drive educational equity, and harness global creative economies to strengthen regional workforce development. Her work combines case studies, […]

Manuel Ramirez

Manuel (Manny) Angel Ramirez is a doctoral student in educational studies with a specialization in special education at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. A first-generation Latino graduate student, Manuel’s research interests focus on equity in Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and families’ linguistic and cultural comprehension of special education laws. In particular, Manuel […]