Earl J. Edwards
Co-Director
he/him
Dr. Earl J. Edwards is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, where he directs the Housing and Educational Equity Lab (HEEL) and co-directs the Institute for the Study of Race & Culture (ISRC).
Dr. Edwards’s research examines how schools, housing systems, and community institutions can better support youth and families experiencing homelessness, with particular attention to the impact of structural racism and economic inequality on access to educational opportunity and public resources.
His scholarship explores (1) how schools identify and support youth experiencing homelessness, (2) how educational and housing institutions work together to coordinate resources and services for housing-insecure youth and families, and (3) how Black youth navigate racialized and economically stratified educational environments.
His recent work examines Black educational leadership, including how Black school leaders enact culturally relevant leadership across the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and national diversity of Black communities.
His work has been published in scientific journals such as Urban Education, AERA Open, Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, AERA Open, Educational Policy, Education and Urban Society, and Leadership and Policy in Schools. He is also co-author of the book, All Students Must Thrive: Transforming Schools to Combat Toxic Stressors and Cultivate Critical Wellness.
Dr. Edwards serves on several national research and policy bodies, including the Homeless Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern California, the National Racial Equity Working Group on Homelessness and Housing, the Anti-Racist Research and Data Team to End Homelessness, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness Research Advisory Board.
Dr. Edwards is a board member of Higher Ground Boston, a Roxbury-based nonprofit addressing health and education inequities in Black neighborhoods in Boston, and he serves on the board of Brilliant Corners, a housing nonprofit organization in California.
