Jessica (pronouns she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Learning Sciences at Northwestern University. Her research and work with practitioners focus on how schools can support the civic and political development of young people and how these efforts can better attend to issues of race and equity, centering the lived experiences of marginalized youth. Jessica’s areas of expertise include civics and social studies education, district-community partnerships, research and evaluation, and strategic change management.  Prior to graduate school, Jessica worked in the public-school systems in both Chicago and NYC as an educator before serving as the founding Director of Social Science and Civic Engagement for the Chicago Public Schools. Her work included districtwide initiatives to expand civic and financial education, implementation of student voice structures in over 125 district schools, development of multiple curricula in partnership with community and teachers, and the development of research partnerships including with the Civic Education Research Group at UC-Riverside. She is the mama of 3 young people, a novice caregiver of plants, a lover of good food, and watcher of good television.