Fall 2025 BU Wheelock Ed Policy Seminar Series

Boston University's Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and The Wheelock Educational Policy Center are excited to host leading scholars this Fall for an Ed Policy Seminar Series. Given growing interest in our local community and increased prominence of presenters, we're happy to open this speaker series to individuals outside of the BU faculty and students typically in attendance.

All are welcome. The seminar series is geared towards an academic audience and will include detailed and technical discussion about methods used in the research, in addition to the policy context and implications.

Register for one or all. Events are in-person. Reception to follow. Space is limited, please RSVP. If you require parking or other logistics support, please email [email protected].

Specific talk titles will be shared a week in advance with registered attendees. Confirmed speakers are as follows:

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Briana Balis (University of California, Merced): Tuesday, November 4th, 2025

Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Location: BU Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) Building, Room 1646

Bio: Briana Ballis is an Assistant Professor of Economics at UC Merced, and an affiliate of the Inequality, Measurement, Interpretation and Policy network of the Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Global Working Group (HCEO). Her areas of interest include labor economics, public economics, and the economics of education. Her research has focused on special education, the spillover effects of DACA, and the long-run impacts of the social safety net. Her work has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the Social Security Administration (via Mathematica). Prior to joining UC Merced, she received her PhD from UC Davis in 2020, received her BA/MA from Boston University in 2011, and was a research analyst at RTI international between 2011 and 2014.

Topic & Abstract: TBA

David Houston (George Mason University): Tuesday, November 18th, 2025

Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Location: Location: BU Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) Building, Room 1646

Bio: David M. Houston is an Assistant Professor of Education in the College of Education and Human Development at George Mason University. He is also the academic program coordinator of the Education Policy program, the director of EdPolicyForward: The Center for Education Policy, and a university affiliate faculty in the Schar School of Policy and Government. Prof. Houston studies K-12 education politics, governance, and public opinion. His research has appeared in academic outlets such as the American Educational Research Journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, and the Harvard Educational Review. It has also been featured in media outlets such as Chalkbeat, Education Week, The 74 Million, and Vox. This work has been supported by the Fordham Institute, the Hewlett Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Russell Sage Foundation, the Wallace Foundation, and the W. T. Grant Foundation. Prior to his position at Mason, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He earned his Ph.D. in Politics and Education from Columbia University, where he studied in both the Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis at Teachers College and the Department of Political Science in the Graduate School of Arts and Science. Before pursuing his doctorate, he taught first and second grade in New York City.

Topic & Abstract: TBA

Christina Weiland (University of Michigan): Wednesday, December 10th, 2025

Time: 3:00pm - 4:30pm

Location: Location: BU Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) Building, Room 1646

Bio: Christina Weiland is a professor at the Marsal Family School of Education at the University of Michigan and (by courtesy) the Ford School of Public Policy, where she is affiliated with the Educational Studies department and the Combined Program in Psychology and Education program. She serves as co-Director of the Education Policy Initiative at the Ford School of Public Policy and as Director of the University of Michigan’s Predoctoral Training Program in Causal Inference in Education Policy Research. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Learning Policy Institute and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Urban Institute. Dr. Weiland’s research focuses on the effects of early childhood interventions and public policies on children’s development, especially on children from families with low-incomes. She is particularly interested in the active ingredients that drive children’s gains in successful, at-scale public preschool programs. She is also interested in quantitative research methods, educational measurement, and developmental processes research. Her work is characterized by strong, long-standing research collaborations with practitioners, particularly the Boston Public Schools Department of Early Childhood.

Topic & Abstract: TBA

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