Abigail Francis

Hello, I am Abigail Francis, a doctoral student in Educational Policy Studies at the Wheelock College of Education & Human Development at Boston University, and a research assistant at the Wheelock Educational Policy Center (WEPC).

I study K–12 education policy in the United States, focusing on the health and community of public schools. Grounded in the economics of education and informed by sociological perspectives, my work examines how families respond to changes in school choice policies and how those decisions, in turn, reshape the composition and functioning of public schools. Using longitudinal and administrative data, I analyze trends in public school disenrollment, the growth of private and alternative schooling options, and the implications of these shifts for educational stratification, accountability, and the measurement of school performance.

 

Prior to my Ph.D., I received a B.A. from Davidson College in Educational Studies and an M.Ed. in Human Development Studies from Vanderbilt University. I was a team lead and research assistant at the College Crisis Initiative and a research assistant for John M. Braxton. I also served as a servant leader at Freedom School Partners.