Scholars of Color – Community Group

Dr. Aliza Nadir Husain is an education researcher with a focus on using quantitative methods to understand policy and practice issues, with the goal of improving student lives. As Pivot’s Research Director, she works with external partners to implement and evaluate various initiatives in K-12 schools and districts. She also works with the research team to understand Pivot’s internal and external impact, focusing on improving student outcomes and experiences through an educational justice framework. 

Prior to Pivot, Dr. Husain was an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education in their Educational Leadership and Policy department. Here, she taught quantitative methods and data analysis to Master’s and Doctoral students, all of whom were practitioners in the K-12 education setting. She has also published in various education and economics journals on topics of principal and teacher quality and effects. She has previously served as an elementary school teacher in California.

Zitsi Mirakhur (she/her) is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky’s College of Education. Previously, she worked at New York University’s Research Alliance for New York City Schools, where she continues to serve as an affiliated researcher. Her research focuses on understanding the ways in which we can generate more equitable school experiences and outcomes for all students, particularly students of color and those from economically disadvantaged families. Trained as a demographer, Zitsi has experience conducting mixed methods research, working on program evaluations, and in research-practice partnerships.

Ericka Weathers, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education Policy Studies at the Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Weathers’ uses quasi-experimental research methods to study the correlates, causes, and consequences of inequality in education. She also explores how K-12 education policies may reduce or exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequality in education. Her current areas of focus include school segregation, special education, and school discipline.

Prior to Pivot, Dr. Husain was an Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo’s Graduate School of Education in their Educational Leadership and Policy department. Here, she taught quantitative methods and data analysis to Master’s and Doctoral students, all of whom were practitioners in the K-12 education setting. She has also published in various education and economics journals on topics of principal and teacher quality and effects. She has previously served as an elementary school teacher in California.