Welcome!

I am a PhD candidate in Education Policy and Developmental and Psychological Sciences at Stanford University. My research examines the role of place, parenting, and policy in shaping educational opportunities, with a particular focus on early childhood. I’m a recipient of Stanford’s Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education Doctoral Fellowship and the AIBM Graduate Research Fellowship.

Before Stanford, I worked in the education sector for more than a decade, as an Education Pioneers Fellow at Start Early, education technology leader at Clever and Newsela, and as a founding public school teacher in Boston and Oakland, where I was recognized as a Sue Lehmann Teaching in Excellence Regional Finalist and one of the 11 inspiring educators of the year by The 74 Million. I hold an Ed.M. in Education from Boston University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I graduated summa cum laude as a Robertson Scholar. I’m originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Get in touch at sofia.wilson@stanford.edu – I’m happy to discuss my research, prior work experience in schools, edtech, or early childhood nonprofits, as well as my experience as a PhD student at Stanford.

Media Mentions

In a new, co-authored study with Tom Dee, we find that the recent major measles outbreak increased student absenteeism by 41 percent. See coverage by Associated Press, Stanford GSE, and Stanford Hoover Institute.

Stanford Report discusses our work compiling the Education Recovery Scorecard, which offers a high-resolution view of 2019-2024 achievement trends for US public school districts, representing 35 million students. Also covered by NPR, AP, Hechinger Report, Axios, and EdSource.

Meet the Heroes: 11 Inspiring (and Unforgettable) Educators We Met in 2015 - The 74million (2015) -“Sofia Wilson is elevating students’ academic progress, and part of the ambitious campaign to turn around a failing school with increasingly dramatic results.”

A Boston Breakthrough: Up Academy Goes From Failing to First - The 74million (2015) - “Underperforming” is one label Wilson’s students are looking to shed.”

Starting from scratch: How a Boston-based charter system could transform a failing school - MassLive (2015) “Sofia Wilson applies these principles (of joy) in her own first-grade classroom….In my class we celebrate ourselves and our identities and languages, which are beautiful assets.”