| The UCI Office of Academic Personnel awarded Assistant Professor Adriana Villavicencio a 2021-22 Hellman Fellowship Award, given to promising assistant professors who show innovation, dedication to inclusive excellence, and capacity for great distinction in their research. Through the award, Villavicencio will study the outcomes of a racial justice program across three public high schools in Orange County. Existing studies of anti-racism programs for educators have shown promising outcomes related to teacher practice, but have primarily focused on changes at the individual level and less on organizational change. What distinguishes this study from prior research is its focus on a school-wide intervention that aims to change organizational policies and practices versus professional development (PD) that may only change the behavior of a few participating teachers. |
Adriana Villavicencio |
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The intervention is also innovative in that it is implemented over an entire school year, which is potentially more impactful and sustainable than the typical one-time anti-racist or implicit bias workshops. Building on a pilot study that Villavicencio led in New York City, this study will employ mixed methods to examine the outcomes of a yearlong racial justice program on student experiences; teacher beliefs and practices; and school and district policy. “A growing number of school districts and educational leaders are pursuing ways of advancing racial justice in schools, but some of these efforts are short lived, perpetuate harm, or focus only on individuals and not at all on systemic change,” Villavicencio said. “This study will not only deepen the field’s theoretical understanding of the processes that generate justice-oriented change, but also provide educators and policymakers with evidence-based recommendations for addressing systemic racism in schools.” Villavicencio’s research focuses on K-12 educational policy and school practices that deepen or disrupt inequities for minoritized communities of students and families. In her previous position as deputy director of the Research Alliance in New York City, she led a longitudinal study of the Expanded Success Initiative, a precursor to My Brother’s Keeper and one of the country’s largest initiatives targeting Black and Latino male students. |
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