The Children’s Equity Project (CEP)
The Children’s Equity Project (CEP) is a multi-university initiative focused on designing and carrying out a cohesive and comprehensive national equity agenda, from the early years through the early grades, across research, policy, and practice. The CEP focuses on conducting high impact original research, working with the broader scholar community to translate equity-focused research, developing new practice-based tools and interventions where there are gaps, and partnering with states and communities to develop policies that result in more equitable learning experiences for all children. The CEP is housed at Arizona State University and is led in partnership from scholars at several other universities and organizations, including Bank Street College of Education, Georgetown University, the University of Miami, Howard University, the University of Oregon, the Ohio State University, Trinity University, Vanderbilt University, Yale University, Indigo Cultural Center, the Institute for Racial Equity and Excellence, the Century Foundation, and NORC at the University of Chicago.
Shantel Meek, PhD
Dr. Shantel Meek is a Professor of Practice and Director for Policy at the Center for Child and Family Success in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University. She is the Founding Director of the Children's Equity Project, a multi-university initiative that aims to close opportunity gaps between children from historically marginalized communities and their peers. Dr. Meek is also a consultant in early childhood research, policy, and strategy at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington D.C. Previously, Dr. Meek served in the Obama Administration as a Senior Policy Advisor for Early Childhood Development at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and as a Senior Policy Advisor for Education in the Domestic Policy Council at the White House. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Family and Human Development from Arizona State University.
Evandra Catherine, PhD
Evandra Catherine is a postdoctoral research scholar on the Children’s Equity Project. Her dissertation examined the effect of a practice-based coaching model on preschool teachers’ use of supportive emotion-related responses to negative emotion expressions of Black boys. Dr. Catherine’s research focuses on inequities in the implementation of exclusionary discipline practices and the placement of preschool-aged children in segregated and self-contained settings, with an emphasis on boys of color. Evandra is the mother to a son with Aspergers’ and a United States Air Force Veteran. She was also a House of Delegates candidate in Virginia’s 2013 democratic primary and was awarded Top 40 Under 40 in Richmond, Virginia in 2015. She holds a B.A. in African American Studies, Master of Public Administration, and Ph.D. in Special Education Policy from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Lisa Gordon
Lisa Gordon, is Senior Director of Training, Technical Assistance & Professional Development and Professor of Practice with the Children’s Equity Project (CEP) at Arizona State University where she works at the intersection of research to policy and practice to close opportunity gaps and ensure that all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, home language, and/or ability, reach their full potential. Lisa has worked in early childhood education for the past 28 years designing and delivering professional development, training, technical assistance, and consulting at both the state and federal levels. Central to her work is a focus on elevating issues of equity, race, and social justice to support strengths-based, child-centered, and equitable educational practices, programs, and policies to affect systemic change. Lisa partners with the Office of Head Start (OHS) National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning where she develops research to practice resources for dissemination, and facilitates trainings across the country. She is a co-developer and facilitator for the OHS Supporting the School Readiness and Success of Young African American Boys Initiative. Prior to her work the the CEP, Lisa served as Associate Director of Early Childhood Programs for the Center for Culture, Race & Equity at the Education Center at Bank Street. Lisa is a Technical Assistant Advisor with the Center of Excellence on Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at Georgetown University where she supports State leaders and programs to embed equity into mental health consultation.
Cinthia Palomino, PhD
Cinthia's interests include exploring cultural and socio-demographic factors that influence children’s social-emotional development, learning, and access to early childhood education. She is also interested in promoting families' and early childhood teachers' well-being through programs and resources that are culturally responsive and equity-oriented.
Her dissertation focused on social indicators of mental health in early childhood teachers before and at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cinthia was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and is a first-generation college graduate. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, an Ed.S. in School Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Human Development from the University of Washington in Seattle.
Darielle Blevins, PhD
Dr. Darielle Blevins' goal is to use an intersectional approach to elevate communities’ voices in research to inform policy. Grounded in Black Feminist ways of knowing, Dr. Blevins’ work centers the need for love, equity, and justice, to ensure quality learning spaces in early childhood and beyond. She earned her Ph.D. in Education from San Diego State University and Claremont University and was named Outstanding Graduate of the Year.
Her dissertation on Black girlhood in education centered the voices of Black middle school girls as they envisioned their inner selves and the self their teacher saw using self-portraits. She is particularly concerned about the relationship between power, culture, and identity development in the classroom context. Methodologically, she is interested in mixed methods with visual methodologies that provide an opportunity for children, who are usually acted upon, to express themselves and use their power. She has impacted the field of Child Development and early learning through her work as a preschool teacher, behavior specialist, and quality improvement coach. Through one- on-one coaching and behavioral support training for hundreds of parents and educators in San Diego County, she has provided educators with tools to engage in anti-bias, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate practice.
Janniqua Dawkins, MBA
Janniqua Dawkins has dedicated her entire professional career to enhancing the lives of underserved populations, specifically youth and families, racial and ethnic minorities, and people within the LGBTQIA community. She holds an Honors B.A. in Psychology from Western Kentucky University, a Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Arizona State University (ASU), and a Master’s in Business Administration from ASU.