Kevin Gee

Dr. Kevin Gee is a Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Davis, specializing in the School Organization & Educational Policy emphasis area. He serves as Director of the School Policy, Research, and Action (SPARC) Center and is a Faculty Research Affiliate with the Center for Poverty & Inequality Research. As a 2020-25 Chancellor's Fellow, Dr. Gee leads research initiatives focused on vulnerable youth populations and educational policy impacts. His work bridges education, public health, and social welfare systems to address structural inequities affecting children's development and academic success.

Dr. Gee's educational background includes:

• Ed.D., Harvard Graduate School of Education, Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education (2010)
• Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education, International Education Policy (2006)
• M.P.I.A., University of California, San Diego, Pacific & International Affairs (cum laude, 2004)
• B.A., University of California, Berkeley, City & Regional Planning (magna cum laude, 1994)

Dr. Gee's research centers on the critical intersection between health and education systems, examining how schooling can influence children's well-being. He investigates policies addressing adverse childhood experiences including bullying, food insecurity, abuse, and neglect. His work employs rigorous quantitative methods including Hierarchical Linear Modeling, longitudinal analysis, and experimental/quasi-experimental designs. Dr. Gee focuses particularly on vulnerable populations such as children with disabilities, Asian American and Pacific Islander youth, and those involved in the child welfare system, seeking data-driven solutions to educational inequities.

Analysis of Dr. Gee's recent publications reveals a strong focus on educational equity, with particular attention to vulnerable student populations. His work spans school absenteeism patterns, bullying and hate speech against AAPI youth, food insecurity impacts, and health-related educational outcomes. The research demonstrates increasing interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with public health researchers, and shows a growing emphasis on pandemic-related educational disruptions and their disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities.

Dr. Gee's notable scientific awards include:

• National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015)
• Foundation for Child Development (FCD) Young Scholars Program Award (2014-2017)
• UC Davis Hellman Fellowship (2015-2016)
• Chancellor's Fellowship (2020-2021)
• Outstanding Faculty Award, Asian Pacific American UC-Systemwide Alliance (2023)
• Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Advanced Research Collaborative, CUNY (2022)

Dr. Gee serves as Principal Investigator for multiple significant grants, including the Heising-Simons Foundation project on districtwide family engagement strategies and chronic absenteeism (2024-2026), and the UC Davis SEED funding for research on how Asian American and Pacific Islander youth confront bullying. He also serves as Co-Investigator on the AAPI Data Grant examining school climate influences on bullying experiences. His grant portfolio demonstrates strong interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly between education and public health researchers, with a consistent focus on generating actionable insights for educational policymakers and practitioners.

As Director of the School Policy, Research, and Action (SPARC) Center at UC Davis, Dr. Gee leads a research team focused on generating data-informed insights about underserved and overlooked youth in educational policy. The center's work specifically supports Asian American and Pacific Islander youth who have experienced bullying, children with chronic absenteeism, and child welfare-involved youth who have experienced maltreatment. The SPARC Center collaborates with various California school districts and state agencies to translate research into practical policy recommendations and implementation strategies.