UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mildred Boveda, associate professor of education (special education) in the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education in the College of Education at Penn State, is the recipient of the 2023 Scholars of Color Early Career Contribution Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA). AERA will honor Boveda and other award recipients with a ceremony at the 2023 Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 15, in Chicago.
“We are honored to present this year’s awards to an excellent and deserving group of scholars,” said Felice J. Levine, AERA executive director. “Their contributions to education research, across all career stages and fields, have made and continue to make a difference in the lives of students and educators.”
Boveda’s award is presented to a scholar who is within the first decade of their career after receipt of a doctoral degree and is intended to recognize scholars who have made significant contributions to the understanding of issues that disproportionately affect minoritized populations, and minoritized scholars who have made a significant contribution to education research and development.
“I was genuinely surprised to learn that I was selected for this award. It means a lot to receive a recognition especially designated for Scholars of Color, given that I am intentional about centering Black and brown people in my scholarship,” said Boveda. “Also, when I look at the past recipients, I am humbled to see so many people who had a direct influence in me being where I am in my career. I am very grateful.”
In addition, Boveda has been chosen as an Outstanding Reviewer for 2022 for the AERA’s Educational Researcher journal and will be recognized for this honor at the annual meeting as well.
Boveda is co-editor of Review of Educational Research, with College of Education colleagues Karly Ford, associate professor of education (higher education); Erica Frankenberg, professor of education (educational leadership and demography); and Francesca López, Waterbury Chair in Equity Pedagogy and professor of education. Boveda earned her doctorate of education in exceptional student education from Florida International University, and her master of education in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
In her scholarship, she uses the terms "intersectional competence" and "intersectional consciousness" to refer to educators' understanding of diversity and how students, families and colleagues have multiple sociocultural markers that intersect in complex and nuanced ways. She designed the Intersectional Competence Measure to assess teachers’ preparedness for an increasingly diverse student population.
Boveda’s research interests are special education, teacher education, intersectionality and Black feminist epistemology, and urban education. Her research focuses on establishing the theoretical and empirical evidence of validity of the intersectional competence construct. Drawing from Black feminist theory and collaborative teacher education research, she interrogates how differences are framed across education communities to influence education policy and practice.
Boveda started her career as a special education teacher in Miami Dade County Public Schools. She engages in various professional activities that allow her to examine the research, practice and policies involved with educating students with diverse needs. She is a past president of the Division for Diverse and Exceptional Learners of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and past chair of the Diversity Caucus for the Teacher Education Division of CEC.
In 2022, Boveda was selected as the Early Career Award recipient by the Division for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners (DDEL). DDEL is one of 17 special interest groups of the CEC, the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, including students with disabilities and those identified as gifted.
AERA is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.