Professor Aisha Ray, a 1972 Erikson graduate, has taught at the Institute for a total of 17 years. She was named senior vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty on July 1, 2009. Her areas of research include cultural and situational contexts of child development, early childhood professional development, father-child relationships in urban communities, and early childhood services for immigrant children and families. She is currently leading a project with Barbara T. Bowman to understand and improve teacher preparation to successfully educate children of diverse cultural, linguistic, and economic backgrounds.
She is a senior research associate at the University of Pennsylvania's National Center on Fathers and Families. She has previously taught on the faculty of DePaul University's School of Education. has also served as consultant with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative, National Center for Strategic Nonprofit Planning and Community Leadership, and Child Trends.
Areas of Expertise
Early childhood professional preparation and training for equity; the role of culture in child development; child and family development in urban communities; fathers and families; the development of parenting roles in unmarried, low-income couples; and early childhood services to immigrant children and families.