Kevin Ferreira van Leer, Ph.D.

Kevin Ferreira van Leer, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. As an action researcher he examines the educational and cultural contexts that promote positive development and liberation for Latinx immigrant families. Current research includes examining the culturally-bounded decision-making process of choosing early childhood education settings for Latinx migrant families as well as investigating how structural factors, such as variation in social policy exclusions for immigrants, and the assets of immigrant communities, are associated with the wellbeing of immigrant families in the U.S. A scholar-activist, Kevin has been sought out for supporting educational institutions in addressing the ways that policy and practice create and perpetuate inequity for people of color, through extra- and inter- institutional efforts. Within the classroom, Kevin aims to co-construct knowledge and co-examine assumptions in the field while preparing students to critically examine their contexts with the aim of positively transforming them.