Sandra Frost Waldron

Sandra Frost Waldron is an Assistant Professor of Education Policy and Leadership in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development. She completed her Ph.D. in Education Policy at Michigan State University. She also holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of South Florida and a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from the University of Miami. Prior to her Ph.D. studies, Dr. Frost Waldron also worked as a teacher and as a school admissions professional at both the PK-12 and higher education levels.

Sandra Frost Waldron’s research focuses on the politics of education, particularly how various stakeholders participate in the policy process. She uses qualitative methods and theories from political science and public policy help understand how language, images, and other symbols convey explicit and implicit messages about education policies and stakeholders. She also considers how the local political context is influenced by state and national politics. Her recent work examines how the news media portrayed teachers on strike and how national political conversations about banning Critical Race Theory in K-12 settings has influenced local and state politics. Dr. Frost Waldron thinks it is important for educators to be aware of how their roles within schools can be political and how they may be able to influence the policy process.