The College of Education & Human Development has added three new faculty members to its Department of Educational Studies this fall. Alexandra Aylward, Ph.D.; Raúl Olmo Fregoso Bailón, Ph.D. and Laura Smithers, Ph.D., bring experience in the fields of leadership and equity and diversity in education.

The College’s Educational Leadership master’s and doctoral degree programs are designed to prepare students for advanced leadership roles in both K-12 and higher education settings, emphasizing the development of effective and visionary leaders in the field of education.

The Equity, Diversity, and Language Education master’s and doctoral programs prepare students to excel in working with individuals from diverse cultural, linguistic and social-class backgrounds, with sensitivity to gender identity, sexual identity and exceptionality.

“These faculty are important additions to programs that highlight forward-thinking approaches to research and practice,” Lynda Wiest, Ph.D., department chair of Educational Studies and professor of mathematics education and educational equity said.

Alexandra Aylward, Ph.D.

Aylward is an assistant professor of educational leadership. Aylward’s broader research agenda examines the relationship between context and persistent racial inequities in the U.S. educational system. She uses a sociological and intersectional lens, which recognizes how various identities can serve as axes of marginalization and oppression, while also making visible the experiences of privilege within and across contexts.

Aylward relies upon critical quantitative analytical methods to investigate how social contextual factors, school leadership, and structural inequities relate to persistent racial/ethnic opportunity gaps in education, specifically in special education.

“I am thrilled to work with future educational leaders and scholars serving students in the state of Nevada and beyond,” Aylward said. “I know that I will learn much from my students about relevant issues affecting our youth and hope that I can contribute to important equity pursuits.”

Raúl Olmo Fregoso Bailón, Ph.D.

Fregoso Bailón is an assistant professor of equity and diversity in education. His research and teaching centers on educational foundations. Fregoso Bailón’s research focuses on the decolonial turn and Latin American epistemologies, with a special focus on the intersections of epistemologies, from teachers, students and metaphorical knowledge. He also explores the significance of Normalistas-teachers in general and students’ lives, stories and narratives as non-canonical educational foundations.

Additionally, his research seeks to aid in the development of Latin American philosophy of education from teachers and students as public intellectuals. Fregoso Bailón’s interdisciplinary perspective draws from a variety of theoretical approaches, including the decolonial turn, coloniality of power, philosophy of liberation, critical theory, theology of liberation, dependency theory and cultural studies in education.

“I am so excited to be working with the students at the University of Nevada, Reno,” Fregoso Bailón said. “Together, we will find joy, hope and optimism in teaching and learning for the future of education in Nevada.”

Laura Smithers, Ph.D.

Smithers is an assistant professor of higher education leadership. Her research explores the possible futures created and foreclosed by assessment regimes in undergraduate education. This work connects the fields of higher education and student affairs, poststructural theory, feminist new materialisms and queer theory and incorporates sustained interest in low theory, film and popular culture.

Smithers' current research explores longstanding campus desires for productivity, desires that have come to hollow out the value of higher education and replace it with nearly any quantifiable category thought to positively correlate with revenue generation. As part of this research, she is beginning a project with researchers in Finland to compare productivity logics across national and institutional contexts.

“Our task in Educational Leadership could not be more integral to the public good of the state and country: to constantly experiment with/in institutions to open avenues for students that exceed our collective imagination,” Smithers said. “I look forward to being one of many in our program working toward better campuses every day through practice and scholarship.”

The College of Education & Human Development offers top-tier graduate programs that provide comprehensive instruction and mentorship to its students, contributing to the University’s status as an R1 institution. As the College continues to grow, the addition of these accomplished scholars reflects its commitment to providing cutting-edge education and fostering a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

“I feel privileged to work with these highly capable, energetic new scholars," expressed Wiest. "I believe they will contribute a great deal to the Department of Educational Studies.”