Meet our team and learn more about the mission and vision of HEEL
Read HEEL original research, policy reports, and policy briefs
Read about some of our current research projects.
ABOUT HEEL
The Housing and Educational Equity Labs are joint interdisciplinary research labs at the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development and the Psychology Department of the College of the Holy Cross. We believe that stable housing and equitable access to educational opportunity are foundational to youth success. Guided by values of collaboration, co-creation of knowledge, and lived experience as expertise, HEEL brings together various scholars and community members to contribute diverse perspectives and skills. A central focus of HEEL is to produce rigorous scholarship with tangible impact—bridging research, practice, and policy to advance housing and educational equity.
Vision: HEEL envisions a society where all kids have access to a safe place to live and an enriching learning community that enables them to thrive.
HEEL pursues its vision in three ways:
- Innovative scholarship that expands existing frameworks for understanding the role of school leaders, teachers, and community-based organizations in supporting racially and economically marginalized youth and families.
Empirical research that analyzes how public institutions like schools, school districts, housing authorities, and homeless service agencies collaborate with community partners to support the academic and physiological needs of K12 students and families.
Policy briefs, reports, and presentations designed to: (a) raise awareness of student homelessness, (b) provide strategies for serving youth impacted by housing insecurity or homelessness, and (c) support the practice and pedagogy of educators.
OUR TEAM
The HEEL team is comprised of academic researchers, practitioners, and people with lived expertise in issues concerning housing instability and educational inequities.
Earl J. Edwards, PhD
Director of HEEL
Boston College
Elianny Edwards, PhD
Director of HEEL
Holy Cross
Address:
Boston College LSEHD
Campion Hall, 205C
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Email:
Earl.Edwards@bc.edu
Address:
The College of Holy Cross
Campion Hall, 205C
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Email:
Elianny.Edwards@holycross.edu