Nancy is a Senior P-12 Research Associate and leads the Social, Emotional, and Academic Development work at EdTrust. In this role, she works to fill current gaps in research, policy, and advocacy to ensure that schools holistically support the well-being and development of students, and especially for low-income students and students of color.
In addition to having served as EdTrust’s Spencer Fellow for Social, Emotional, and Academic Development, Nancy worked in multiple roles prior to joining EdTrust. Experiences include being a tutor and barista before graduate school, and more recently as a research assistant under education faculty at Michigan State University. She has also previously worked on projects with researchers at ETS and interned with consultants at the Center for Assessment.
Nancy received her B.S. from Lehigh University in psychology and is currently in the final stages of the Education Policy Ph.D. program at Michigan State University, with a dissertation that focuses on the intersections of social-emotional learning with culture and restorative justice.
Proudest Moment
Receiving my first acceptance letter to graduate school
What are people most surprised to learn about you?
I used to breakdance in college.
What drew you to education?
After college, I served as both a private tutor for wealthy families and a sub-contracted tutor in a low-income school district. Although my own experiences growing up had shown me that opportunities differ based on race and income, the differences in educational opportunities I saw as a tutor were stark. Upset with what I was seeing, I entered graduate school for education policy intent on finding ways to reduce these inequities.
Author Archives
Sounding the Alarm on Black Girls and School Discipline
Black girls are more likely to be disciplined than white girls—accounting for 37% of in-school suspensions.
How to Prioritize Funding for Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development
Students’ social & emotional well-being are linked to academic learning. States should prioritize funding programs that holistically support students’ needs.
How Student, Family, and Community Engagement Impacts Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD)
This report discusses how schools can better communicate with families, caregivers, and communities to support students’ academic development and overall wellbeing.
What the Most Recent CRDC Can Tell Us About Student Discipline
What the most recent CRDC can tell us about student discipline and school climate inequity.
Creating Safer Schools: A Case Study
This mixed-methods case study examines two urban school districts in the United States. After public calls to end policing in schools, leaders in these districts reformed both policy and practice to support student safety.
Relationships, Not Hardening Schools, Are Key to Safety
In a guest column, Nancy Duchesneau of the Education Trust says metal detectors and increased security don’t make students safer in school. Relationships are what create safe and welcoming schools.…
The Case for Increasing School Safety by Investing in Student Mental Health
Even as the nation still reels from the tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in May, gun violence continues to increase. And four years after the mass shooting…
Is Your State Prioritizing Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD)?
As the pandemic persists, many educators report that students are experiencing academic, behavioral, and personal challenges — resulting in difficulties in both learning, school engagement, and mental health. While most…
Strong Relationships are the Key to Understanding Students’ Experiences
Everybody remembers their best teacher. Mine is Dr. M, my graduate advisor and forever mentor. She’s someone I felt I could turn to for support, both academic and personal, because…
Preventing Suicide Amid a Pandemic
As if the deaths of nearly 700,000 Americans from COVID-19 weren’t depressing enough, the past two years have wreaked havoc on surviving Americans’ mental health. Most at risk? Young people…
Self-Advocacy or Defiance in Protests? Depends: Are You White or Black?
“Please, I can’t breathe.” Are these words of “resistance,” or are they a man’s simple plea to stay alive? In seven minutes, George Floyd became yet another Black man who…
When it Comes to Social Emotional Development, Relationships Matter, Especially During COVID-19
Last year, I spent four months traveling around the country interviewing students and families of color about how schools could do a better job supporting their children’s social and emotional…
A Holistic Approach to Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD)
Social, emotional, and academic development (SEAD) is the latest buzzword in education. But what does it mean exactly? Usually, when you hear about social emotional learning or SEAD, it’s often…
What Purpose Does Your Dress Code Serve? Why Inclusive School Policies Matter
When Tvli Birdshead, a senior at an Oklahoma high school was denied the freedom to wear his Native American regalia to graduation this spring, he decided to fight back. After…