Sade Bonilla

Sade Bonilla is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE) and Senior Research Specialist at the Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Her work focuses on education policies' transformative potential for marginalized youth, particularly in high school-to-college transitions and labor market readiness. She leads research-practitioner partnerships to generate actionable insights for schools and policymakers.

Key research projects include the 'Cost-of-Living Grant Pilot on Community College Student Success' (funded by Arnold Ventures), examining financial aid's impact on completion rates and well-being, and a multi-site study on ethnic studies' effects on academic and social-emotional outcomes (funded by the Hewlett Foundation). She has held prestigious fellowships, including the 2019 Outstanding Predoctoral Fellow from IES and Spencer/NAEd Dissertation Fellowship (2018).

Her recent work highlights barriers to postsecondary success, emphasizing mental health, financial stability, and structural inequities. Collaborations with institutions like Massachusetts community colleges and Bay Area districts demonstrate her commitment to real-world policy impact.

• Grants & Leadership: Principal Investigator for Arnold Ventures' financial aid study, Co-PI on Hewlett Foundation's ethnic studies research
• Community Engagement: Named inaugural Faculty Research Director for Penn GSE's Office of School and Community Engagement (2024)

Her research teams utilize mixed methods, combining longitudinal data with student-centered qualitative insights to address systemic challenges in education equity.