Dr. Mildred Boveda

Dr. Mildred Boveda is an Associate Professor of Education (Special Education) at Penn State University. In her scholarship, she uses the terms "intersectional competence" and "intersectional consciousness" to refer to educators' understanding of diversity and how students, families, and colleagues have multiple sociocultural markers that intersect in complex and nuance ways. She designed the Intersectional Competence Measure to assess teachers’ preparedness for an increasingly diverse student population.

Her research interests are special education, teacher education, intersectionality, Black feminist epistemology, and urban education. Her research focuses on establishing the theoretical and empirical evidence of the validity of the intersectional competence construct. Drawing from Black feminist theory and collaborative teacher education research, she interrogates how differences are framed across education communities to influence education policy and practice.

Dr. Boveda started her career as a special education teacher in Miami Dade County Public Schools. She engages in various professional activities that allow her to examine the research, practice, and policies involved with educating students with diverse needs. Dr. Boveda is the co-editor of Review of Educational Research and the Programming Co-Chair for the Teaching and Teacher Education Division (Division K) of the American Education Research Association (AERA). She is a past president of the Division for Diverse and Exceptional Learners of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and past chair of the Diversity Caucus for the Teacher Education Division of CEC.

Dr. Boveda earned her Ed.D. in exceptional student education from Florida International University, and her Ed.M. in education policy and management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In 2023, she received AERA’s Scholars of Color in Education Early Career Contribution Award.