Nadirah Farah Foley

Nadirah Farah Foley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Washington University in St. Louis. They are affiliated with the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Equity (CRE2) and the Interdisciplinary Program in Urban Studies. Their research focuses on how schools mediate issues of race, class, and place in American society, using qualitative methods to explore systemic inequalities and resistance within educational contexts.

Education:

• PhD in Education (Culture, Institutions, and Society), Harvard University
• M.S.Ed in Higher Education, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
• A.B. in Classics, Princeton University

Research Interests: Foley's work investigates socioeconomic inequality in education, particularly in diverse suburban schools. Their current book project, "Class, Dismissed: Inequality Talk in a Suburban School," examines how racial equity efforts often sideline class-based disparities. They emphasize schools as sites of both inequality and possibility, advocating for critical analysis of educational systems' societal roles.

Teaching: Courses focus on the sociology of education (K-12 and higher education), emphasizing critical perspectives on educational access, experiences, and outcomes linked to systemic inequality.

Professional Experience:

• Postdoctoral Fellow, NYU (Gates Foundation-funded project on Continuous Improvement and Equity)
• Prior roles in college access and student affairs in higher education

Labs/Teams: Affiliated with CRE2 and Urban Studies Program at Washington University.