Adriana Villavicencio is an assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Her research is focused on K–12 educational policy and practice that deepens or disrupts inequities for students of colors and their families. For nearly a decade, she served as a senior research associate and deputy director of the Research Alliance for New York City Schools at New York University, a research-practice partnership with the New York City Department of Education, and led many of its large scale research projects on topics including computer science for underrepresented students, effective schooling for immigrant English learners, and racial justice programs in schools. She also served on the advisory board for the Young Women’s Initiative; as a member of New York State’s Board of Regents Research Workgroup on Integration, Diversity and Equity; and as president of the Board of Directors for the Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University. Villavicencio is the author of numerous research reports, journal articles, and book chapters on equitable policy and practice in schools and regularly presents her research at national conferences and through a variety of both English- and Spanish language television and online media. Prior to becoming a researcher, she taught high school English in East Oakland, California, and in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her PhD in education leadership and policy from the New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. She also holds a MA in English education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a BA in English from Columbia University.
