Julia Duncheon
Assistant Professor of Education
Research Areas
High School-to-College Transition
Postsecondary Access
Education Policy
Scholar Snapshot
Professor Duncheon’s research explores policies and practices that relate to high school-to-college transition with a focus on the experiences of underrepresented student populations. Drawing on sociological frameworks and qualitative methods, she examines the role of students’ social, political and institutional contexts in shaping postsecondary opportunity and equity. Through her scholarship, Professor Duncheon aims to advance our understanding of how the K-12 and higher education systems can more effectively work together to facilitate college transition and success, particularly for students who have been historically underserved.
She is currently the principal investigator on a $1 million grant project funded by the Spencer Foundation. She is leading a four-year study to explore how different dual credit delivery contexts influence the educational pathways of students from diverse demographic backgrounds, with the goal of helping policymakers better understand how to maximize student success and diminish equity gaps.
Professor Duncheon’s recent research publications include “Examining teacher perspectives on college readiness in an early college high school context” in the American Journal of Education, “Brokering college opportunity for first generation youth: The role of the urban high school” in the American Educational Research Journal and “‘A ditcher and a scholar’: Figuring college-going identities in an urban magnet high school” in Teachers College Record.
In Depth
Listen to Professor Duncheon discuss her research exploring how a teacher’s background, academic focus and personal experience can influence their definition of “college readiness.”
education.uw.edu/duncheon-podcast