DIAL EE Research Fellows
Abby Slovick. Ph.D. (Candidate), MA
UC Berkeley
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Abby is a doctoral student at UC Berkeley. Abby’s research explores the implementation of P-12 education policies in California. More specifically, she is interested in districts’ governance structures that support policy implementation and how teachers, students, and families experience new policies. Combining organizational and critical theory as disciplinary frameworks, she uses critical policy analysis to contextualize the framing, implementation, and analysis of education policy.
Abby’s current research projects include following how districts are spending COVID stimulus dollars and how counties and districts are implementing universal prekindergarten programs.
Prior to graduate school, Abby worked as a secondary mathematics teacher and taught female and non-binary students how to code during her summer breaks. She received her BS from the University of Southern California and an MA from Columbia University.
Xueqin Lin, Ph.D. (Candidate) M.Ed, LPCC
UC Berkeley
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Xueqin is a PhD candidate in the School of Education School Psychology program, University of California Berkeley. Her research focuses on educator well being, schoolwide social and emotional learning, and family-school partnership. She currently serves as a graduate student researcher for the 21CSLA State Center, and is involved in qualitative and quantitative studies understanding school principals’ leadership for equity and their well-being. Before her PhD study, she worked as a mental health clinician with Asian American Recovery Services providing mental health treatment for low income youth and their families. Xueqin received her M.Ed. in counseling and human services from Lehigh University, and BA in English from Beijing Normal University.
Ja’Nya Banks, Ph.D. (Candidate), M.Ed., M.S.
UC Berkeley
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Ja’Nya Banks is a second-year PhD student at the University of California Berkeley, studying education with a focus on Policy, Politics and Leadership. Ja’Nya’s research explores the politics of school reform in marginalized communities, by centering the relationships between teachers, parents and students. She studies how organizational theory can be expanded to capture informal ties between stakeholders that exist outside of typical governing processes, in hopes of revitalizing community oriented policy. Additionally, she is interested in examining the nuances of Special Education policy, and how arguments around identification aid or inhibit resource access for racially marginalized families and their white counterparts.
Prior to her time at Berkeley, Ja’Nya worked as a Special Education teacher and case manager, and a workshop facilitator on utilizing personal identity to instill anti-racist practices for in-service teachers, lecturers and faculty members. She received her B.S. and M.S. in Special Education from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an M.Ed. in Education Policy from the University of Virginia.
Cindy Lopez
CSU Fresno
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Cindy is a graduate student at Fresno State University, where she is currently working towards obtaining her Master’s degree in early childhood education. Her research interests include childhood trauma, social-emotional, literacy, and language. She plans to contribute her knowledge and skills to help the families and young children of the Central Valley and develop the necessary abilities to thrive. Cindy is a lifelong learner of child development, early childhood education, and inclusive and diverse practices, as she believes it is pertinent to understanding young children’s complex and unique backgrounds, cultures, languages, abilities, and struggles.
Ruth Scott
Fresno City College
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Ruth is currently pursuing her Associate of Science Degree for transfer in Child Development with a concentration in Early Childhood Education at Fresno City College. She is excited to continue her education at California State University, Fresno, where she will work toward a Bachelor of Science in Child and Family Services. Ruth’s long-term goal is to become a Lead Teacher in a preschool program and eventually earn her PK-3 Teaching Credential to teach Transitional Kindergarten.
Ruth is committed to creating inclusive learning environments that cater to the diverse needs of young children so that every child has the opportunity to thrive. As both a future educator and a parent of a child with special needs, Ruth understands firsthand the challenges families face when seeking early intervention services and quality childcare. Her experiences fuel her dedication to improving these processes, and she hopes that her work as a research fellow with DIAL EE.