The Education Collaboratory at Yale launched in July 2023. To share more about our work, we are spotlighting all the dedicated team members of our lab, highlighting their work and what brings them to our team's mission to advance the science and practice of SEL.
What is your role at the Education Collaboratory?
I have been working with Dr. Cipriano since June of 2022, when I began through the Child Study Center’s Developmental Science Summer Internship. I stayed with the lab as an undergraduate research assistant at the conclusion of my internship, which also included completing my senior thesis with the team. Since graduating in December 2023, I have transitioned to working as a full-time research assistant. In this role, I primarily work on the SEL for All team with Dr. Cipriano, focusing on intersectionality and equity in social and emotional learning.
What brought you to the field of SEL?
As a psychology major with a certificate in education studies, I’ve long been interested in the intersection of the two fields. My experiences in the NYC public education system as well as various extracurricular and internship experiences in education and clinical care have also ignited my passion for educational equity, particularly as it connects to mental health, disability, and neurodivergence. Through my work with the Education Collaboratory, I saw the importance of social and emotional learning as part of this picture. Social and emotional learning is vital in the current co-occurring mental health and educational inequity crises.
What line of research do you find the most interesting/intriguing in the field right now?
I am greatly interested in how SEL research can inform educational policy, as well as how policy must inform research particularly given the current tensions surrounding SEL. Broadly, I am passionate about education for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities within both a K-12 and post-secondary context, and how SEL can be effectively implemented in these contexts to support individuals with a variety of needs and experiences.
These interests have been a big part of the type of work I do at the lab. Throughout my time with the SEL for All team, I’ve worked on various projects relating to diversity and identity within the field of SEL. I analyzed the representation of gender within current SEL research using systematic review data, which I presented at AERA’s 2023 annual meeting. Additionally, I completed my senior thesis with the team’s support, using focus group data to analyze barriers in universal school-based (USB) SEL interventions for elementary school students with learning differences. Apart from these individual projects, I have supported the team with our meta-analytic work examining representation and diversity within the evidence for SEL, and co-authored a forthcoming handbook chapter that provides guidance on how to center marginalized identities within SEL.
What energizes you outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy cooking, crafting, hiking, and playing ultimate frisbee. I love board games, whether with friends or with colleagues during Education Collaboratory team meetings! My proudest accomplishment is my New York Times daily crossword streak, which is over 2 years old.