Dr. Maria Velazquez

Biography

Maria Del Socorro Velazquez is a Social Science Research Scholar focused on educational policy studies with a specific interest in the intersections of housing, educational opportunity, and educational policy. Maria's research employs qualitative methods within an interdisciplinary framework to highlight the socially constructed nature of inequities in schools and school communities. Her work also critiques the active roles parents, educators, and community members assume to contest and disrupt these inequalities, aiming to create transformative opportunities for youth. Through collaborative research, her publications enhance the understanding of critical linkages such as the housing-school nexus and the school-prison nexus, as well as school organizational policies and practices that contribute to categorical inequalities. Maria holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. in Ethnic Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Research Interests

Courses