Katherine Shah

Katherine Shah is a Lab Manager with the Development in Sociocultural Context Lab (DISC) and Project Manager for the Policy Levers for Equitable Employment in Childcare Collaborative. In both roles, she oversees day-to-day operations, project timelines, personnel management, and coordinates research activities. An educator and researcher by training, Katherine holds a graduate degree in Social Science Research from the University of Chicago, with a certificate in Education & Society, and a BA in Music Education from Northeastern Illinois University. Her research on structural barriers shaping educational opportunity spans K–12 and post-secondary contexts, with both qualitative and quantitative projects examining the intersections of race, school commute, and student success. She has spent nearly a decade working with K–12 and college students across Chicago which provides her with valuable insights into the specific challenges and opportunities within the educational landscape. She has also facilitated educational programming for incarcerated adult students, deepening her interest in the relationships between schooling, justice systems, and social inequality. She brings to her work a commitment to producing rigorous and accessible research that informs equity-driven educational practice and policy.