Daniel Shephard

Lecturer in Comparative Education and Education Policy

Biography

Background

Daniel Shephard is a Lecturer in Comparative Education and Education Policy within the Institute for Education, Community and Society at Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on questions of educational inclusion of forced migrants (refugees and IDPs) and the international data regime for education. His disciplinary orientation is at the intersection of comparative education, sociology, and international development. His current research projects are investigating different school models of refugee inclusion through the use of dynamic social network analysis and longitudinal mixed-methods; the financing of refugee education inclusion through a comparative case study; and a life-course study of migrant families experiences of becoming classified as refugees.

Prior to joining the University of Edinburgh, Daniel was the Postdoctoral Fellow in International Sustainable Development at Indiana University, Bloomington where he held dual affiliations with the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development and the Center for the Study of Global Change. His other previous positions have included Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School for International Training Graduate Institute, Associate Fellow at the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team (2015-2016), and Senior Manager of Research and Education at Aflatoun International. Daniel has over ten years of experience in applied international education research in 30 countries and has worked as a research consultant for numerous international and local NGOs, United Nations agencies, and other international organizations such as the OECD and the World Bank. He also has experience as a teacher in South Korea and Thailand. 

CV

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Qualifications

  • PhD, Comparative and International Education, Columbia University, NY (2023)
  • MPhil, Comparative and International Education, Columbia University, NY (2021)
  • MSc, Evidence-Based Social Intervention, University of Oxford, UK (2011)
  • BA, English Language and Literature, Gordon College, MA (2006)

Responsibilities & affiliations

  • Comparative and International Education Society (CIES), Member
  • British Association for International & Comparative Education (BAICE), Member
  • American Sociological Association (ASA), Member
  • The Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), Member
  • NORRAG, member
  • Nudge Lebanon, Board Member
  • ISCS Group, Board Member

Postgraduate teaching

Autumn 2024:

  • Education Policy and the Politics of Education
  • Introduction to Comparative Education

Spring 2025:

  • Education and Conflict
  • Research Methods 2

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I am interested in supervising the following topics and methodologies:

Topics:

  • Education and development
  • Refugee education 
  • Migrant education 
  • Education and conflict
  • Educational data

Methodologies:

  • Social network analysis 
  • Mixed methods
  • Longitudinal research   
  • Primary data collection (qualitative and quantitative)

Research summary

My research focuses on questions of the educational inclusion of forced migrants (refugees and internally displaced persons) and the international data regime for education. I approach these questions from sociological lens and am particularly concerned with understand how institutional structures of school inclusion affect social cohesion, academic performance, and inequalities among children in contexts affected by large-scaled forced displacement. My recent research has focused on the contexts of the Syrian and South Sudanese diasporas. My research also focuses on the international educational data regime and how it can inadvertently replicate systems of inequality and silences around marginalized groups. Finally, I am interested in the application of social and behavioral science to international educational development programs.

Methodologically, I am primarily interested in the use of mixed-methods and dynamic social network analysis through primary data collection and longitudinal studies. In addition, I have expertise in randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews. 

Current research interests

Comparative research on camp-based, double-shift, and single-shift schools that include students with refugee backgrounds. What influences more asset-based or deficit-based approaches taken by refugee education researchers in their peer reviewed publications. Understanding the drivers and hindrances facing the financing of refugee education inclusion in countries hosting large numbers of refugees. As part of my interest in the international data regime I am currently conducting a project investigating the 'policy linking' methodology.

Past research interests

My past research interests have always focused on understanding how to support marginalized learners and how schooling could support outcomes related to the broader social context. This has included research on education for homeless/street-connected children and research on education programs focusing on life-skills, financial capabilities, and children's rights.

Conference details

I regularly present at CEIS and UKFIET and have also presented at ASA, AERA, and ISA.

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