CURRICULUM VITAE
LAUREN P. SAENZ
______________________________________________________________________________
Campion Hall 336A
Lynch School of Education
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
lauren.saenz@bc.edu
EDUCATION
2010
Ph.D. in Educational Foundations, Policy and Practice, The University of
Colorado, Boulder, Colorado.
Dissertation: Education Policy by Ballot Box: Examining the Impact of AntiAffirmative Action Initiatives.
2001
A.B. in English, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
Educational Evaluation
Education Policy Studies
Philosophy of Education
Mixed Methods Research
Higher Education
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2011 to present
Boston College: Assistant Professor of Educational Research,
Measurement, and Evaluation, Lynch School of Education
• Research focus: Program evaluation, democratic theory, and education
policy
• Courses taught include program evaluation and interpretation and
evaluation of educational research
2009 to 2011
Temple University: Research Associate, Institute for Schools and Society
• Conducted project-based research and data analysis on major project
evaluations including two in the School District of Philadelphia.
Responsibilities included project management, evaluation design,
qualitative and quantitative data analysis, observations, interviews, and
survey construction.
2007-2008
University of Colorado: Graduate Instructor, School of Education
• Designed, managed, and instructed 3-credit courses in social,
philosophical, historical, and cultural foundations of education for
undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students
2005-2009
University of Colorado: Graduate Research Assistant, School of Education
• Conducted research related to issues of affirmative action, educational
equity and diversity, education policy, and media issues
• Conducted research for Task Force on Minority Recruitment and
Retention
• Worked with Denver Public Schools to design and conduct internal
evaluation of teacher compensation program
2004-2006
University of Colorado: Assessment Coordinator, Graduate Teacher
Program
• Conducted program evaluation and planning, data collection, and data
analysis for the Graduate Teacher Program, including development of
survey instruments, interviews and transcription, and focus group
facilitation
2002 to 2004
CAST, Inc.: Research Assistant
• Developed instructional content and wrote Teacher’s Guide for
research-based Thinking Reader© software programs
• Observed and assisted classroom teachers and students throughout the
implementation of several research projects
• Designed and conducted quantitative and qualitative analysis of
teacher and student behavior
2001-2002
Americorps VISTA: Children’s Literacy Advocate, Summer Scholars,
Denver, Colorado.
• Developed and implemented year-long and grade-specific literacy
programs for students K-8, as well as family literacy events
• Managed summer literacy program that included 65 students, 5
teachers, 3 paraprofessionals, and 3 teen interns
HONORS
Finalist, Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Educational Research Association
Division J, 2011.
Finalist, Outstanding Dissertation Award, Politics of Education Association, 2011.
Outstanding Doctoral Graduate, University of Colorado-Boulder School of Education,
2010.
PUBLICATIONS
REFEREED ARTICLES
Moses, M. S. and Saenz, L. P. (2012). When the Majority Rules: Ballot Initiatives, RaceConscious Education Policy, and the Public Good. Review of Research in
Education, 36: 116-138.
Saenz, L. P. and Moses, M. S. (2010). Deliberating About Affirmative Action: Linking
Education Policy Research and the Media. American Journal of Education, 116
(2), 263-287.
Moses, M. S. and Saenz, L. P. (2008). Hijacking Education Policy Decisions: The Case
of Affirmative Action. Harvard Educational Review, 78(2): 289-310.
BOOK CHAPTERS
Saenz, L. P., Badolato, V. J., & Ruckdeschel, A. (2008). Straddling the wall: What’s
gained and lost in the Supreme Court’s willingness to allow more fraternization
between church and state? In Kevin G. Welner & Wendy C. Chi, Eds., Current
Issues in Education Policy and the Law (pp. 241-267). Greenwich, CT:
Information Age Publishing.
Rabin, S., Saenz, L. P., & MacGillivary, H. (2008). Getting back to where we started
from: The failure of proxy-based policies and a possible return to Plessy. In Kevin
G. Welner & Wendy C. Chi, Eds., Current Issues in Education Policy and the
Law (pp. 153-172). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Saenz, L. P. (2008). Board of Regents, University of California v. Bakke. In Charles J.
Russo, Ed., Encyclopedia of Education Law. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc.
Moses, M. S. & Saenz, L. P. (2006, November 3). “The Information Gap on Affirmative
Action,” Inside Higher Education. Available at
[http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2006/11/03/moses].
CONFERENCE PAPERS & PRESENTATIONS
“Reimagining School Safety From a Perspective of Care and Opportunity.” A paper with
Bethy Leonardi to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American
Educational Research Association, Vancouver, BC, April 2012.
“Culture, Context, and Performance-Based Compensation: An Analysis of Educator
Experiences in One Merit Pay System.” A paper with Camika Royal presented at
the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New
Orleans, LA, April 2011.
“Uncovering the Truth: An Evaluation of Dominant Frames in the Public AntiAffirmative Action Initiative Debate.” A paper presented at the Annual Meeting
of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, April
2011.
“Education Policy by Ballot Box.” A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO, May 2010.
“Community Dialogue and Voter Views on Affirmative Action: Using Researcher
Expertise for the Public Good,” paper with Michele S. Moses and Amy Subert in
Affirmative Action at the Ballot Box: The Case of Colorado’s Amendment 46, a
symposium accepted by Division L for the Annual Meeting of the American
Educational Research Association, Denver, CO, May 2010.
“The Politics of Data in the Affirmative Action Debate,” a paper presented in Affirmative
Action, Democratic Deliberation, and Civil Rights: Understanding Ballot
Initiatives and the Role of Researchers, a symposium accepted as a highlighted
session at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research
Association, San Diego, CA, April 2009.
“The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative: Examining the Print News Media and Public
Information.” A paper with Michele S. Moses presented at the Annual Meeting of
the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL, April 2007.
“What Does the Public Deserve to Know? Examining Print News Media and the Debate
over the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative.” A paper with Michele S. Moses
presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Studies
Association, Spokane, WA, November 2006.
“Evidence, impact, and momentum in a campus-wide scholarship initiative.” A paper
with Laura L. B. Border presented at the 2006 CASTL Colloquium on the
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Madison, WI.
“The Real World: Active Learning Through Qualitative Data Analysis.” (2006).
Workshop presentation for Graduate Teacher Program.
“Professors and TAs with disabilities: Research results and development interventions.”
A paper with Laura L. B. Border presented at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the
POD Network, Milwaukee, WI.
“Supporting instructors with cognitive disabilities.” A paper with Laura L. B. Border
presented at the 2005 Coleman Institute Conference, Boulder, CO.
“Supporting instructors with disabilities.” A paper presented with Laura L. B. Border at
the 2005 Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web, and Technology
Conference, Boulder, CO.
SERVICE & AFFILIATIONS
Member, American Evaluation Association
Member, American Educational Research Association
Member, American Educational Studies Association
Editorial board member, American Educational Research Journal-SIA, 2011-2014
Ad-hoc reviewer, Educational Researcher, American Journal of Education, Journal of
Mixed Methods Research
Task Force for Recruitment of Minority Graduate Students, University of Colorado
School of Education, 2007.
University of Colorado Task Force for Faculty & Staff with Disabilities, 2005-2006.
LANGUAGES
Fluent in English
Semi-fluent in French, Princeton University, 1998.