Meet Alison Boardman, bringing curiosity and collaboration to research and partnerships
A passionate advocate for putting research into practice, Alison Boardman brings a range of experience from her time as a teacher, instructor, researcher and tenure track professor to her new role as Associate Dean for Research that began in July for the School of Education.
As professor in the Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy program in the School of Education, Boardman partners closely with teachers and school leaders to study reading instruction across content areas, particularly in classrooms serving emergent bilingual learners and students with disabilities. She designs meaningful professional learning experiences for educators and developing instructional approaches that foster student-led collaboration. She leads research on project鈥慴ased learning in high school language arts while also working with educators nationwide to implement Collaborative Strategic Reading that strengthens student鈥憀ed discussions and improves reading engagement and outcomes.
Before entering academia, Boardman taught elementary and middle school special education, grounding her research in real classroom experience. In her new role as Associate Dean of Research, she hopes can make a make a difference and continue to support schools and researchers despite a tough research climate where districts are under pressure, important work is scrutinized and funding is limited.
We caught up with Boardman to learn more about her hopes for the role and get to know her passions and aspirations beyond her expanding day job.
Q. To start, tell us more about your research and how your path as an educator shaped the research areas today?
As a special education teacher, I taught in both 鈥減ull-out鈥 settings with small groups of students and as a co-teacher in general education classrooms. I wondered why some students with disabilities were more connected and integrated into the work and community of the classroom, while others were not. My research focuses on designing and exploring effective instructional practices that support all learners in inclusive classrooms. Relatedly, I am interested in how teachers can build relationships with students with disabilities and multilingual learners and facilitate student-led collaboration. Fostering these connections is key to creating engaging and supportive learning environments.
Q. What motivated you to pursue the Associate Dean for Research position at this point in your career? 聽
It鈥檚 a challenging time to do research. School districts feel pressure, research on important topics is being scrutinized, and grant funding is scarce. I am excited to think collectively and creatively to support our community to advance their research agendas in this challenging research climate.聽
Q. You鈥檝e experienced a wide range of roles within the School of Education. How do those experiences shape the way you hope to support faculty in their research?
I鈥檝e had many roles in the School of Ed over the last 20 years. I鈥檝e been an instructor, a research associate, a research professor, and I鈥檝e gone through the tenure track. I have a unique perspective on what it feels like to be in different roles in our School. To be honest, sometimes I鈥檝e felt like an outsider. I haven鈥檛 always known who to talk to and how to get the support I needed. I don鈥檛 want anyone to feel that way.
Q. As you step into this leadership role, what perspectives do you hope to bring, and what excites you most about working with the research community in this new capacity?
I might be answering a different question than the one you鈥檝e asked (one of my favorite things to do), but if I were to pick two words to describe my approach to leadership (and to life), they would be collaboration and curiosity. In terms of collaboration, I thrive when I can connect with people to consider different ideas and perspectives. I enjoy leading the charge, but if I can look at a challenge from different angles and learn from other鈥檚 experiences, I find the solutions are more dynamic and actionable and more likely to be successful. And, I am curious. I want to understand people鈥檚 research, I want to understand their experiences, and I want to know more about what this community needs from the Associate Dean for Research right now. I have so many ideas, but the first step, is learning from my colleagues.
Q. We鈥檇 love to hear more about who your life outside of the School of Education. How do you like to spend your time when you鈥檙e not immersed in research and teaching?聽
My favorite places to be when I鈥檓 not at work are travelling (first choice is to see my kids and second choice 鈥 anywhere!), running or hiking on the trails, or curled up with a good book. And I鈥檓 pretty sure I鈥檝e never had a conversation that didn鈥檛 include at least one reference to something I heard on a podcast.
Q. And finally, for fun鈥攊f you could be anything other than a faculty member, researcher, or educator, what would you be and why?
I would definitely be the star of a Broadway musical. I don鈥檛 have any talent for singing or dancing, but since it鈥檚 a dream, I鈥檓 going for it!
