E4 Welcomes New Visiting Scholars
Scholars Ana Paula Melo (left) and Tommy Wells have been named early career visiting fellows at Northwestern University's Center for Education Efficacy, Excellence, and Equity (E4) for the 2023-24 academic year.
Melo, assistant professor at Howard University, and Wells, assistant professor at Bellarmine University, will conduct K-12 education research as part of E4’s Early Career Visiting Fellows Program.
Housed at Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP), the E4 Center was created through an innovative partnership with Curriculum Associates, a leading provider of digital assessment and instructional materials. Considered a new model for K-12 education, it is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and advised by practitioners from several urban public-school districts.
The visiting scholars research a range of issues facing underrepresented students, including children of color, multilingual learners, and students whose families live in poverty.
In addition to collaborating with faculty and graduate students at SESP, the scholars will connect with researchers across campus, including the Center for Computer Science and Learning Sciences, a collaboration between the School of Education and Social Policy and Northwestern Engineering.
Wells studies K-12 trauma-informed practices and educator preparation and educator development. As an undergraduate at Northwestern, he studied psychology and vocal performance, participating in theatre and an a capella group. He holds master's degrees in counseling and counselor education, educational psychology, and educational leadership and policy, and he earned his doctorate in educational leadership and policy from Vanderbilt University.
Wells worked as a school counselor for several years in the Indianapolis area primarily at the middle school level. Outside of work, he enjoys singing, playing tennis, and learning languages.
Melo researches topics in economic of education, with a focus on socioeconomic, gender and racial inequality. She earned her doctorate in agricultural and applied economics from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021.
About E4
E4 is part of the School of Education and Social Policy’s commitment to generate rigorous evidence to improve K-12 education. E4 will address the inequities built into education systems by leveraging the speed at which digital platforms generate high quality data. The partnership combines the expertise of an established education tech company––Curriculum Associates––serving more than 11 million students with one of the world’s leading institutions of education research and teaching and its school district partners.