
Daniela DiGiacomo
Senior Research Partner
Daniela Kruel DiGiacomo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky.
Bio
Daniela Kruel DiGiacomo is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky. With a background in teaching and social work, DiGiacomo’s program of research currently focuses on how to design formal and informal learning settings in ways that support and extend young people’s lived experiences, interests, and expertise. As a learning scientist trained in the sociocultural tradition, her scholarship is guided by a commitment to pursuing research that is both just-conferring and humanizing-- research that proceeds with the assumption that diversity is a resource to be leveraged, rather than a problem to be solved. Since becoming an adult research ally for KSVT in 2019 when she moved to Kentucky, Daniela has supported KSVTers in their investigation of how Kentucky students experienced learning during COVID. That study, entitled "Coping with COVID-19: Youth Experiences and Perspectives" was recently published in the journal Children, Youth, and Environments. As a senior research partner, Daniela will lead on research project support and the development of organization-wide capacity building research training to build and maintain skills around ethical and effective youth-led education research across school years.
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Daniela DiGiacomo
Notable Contributions

Coping With Covid in Kentucky Part II: A Call to Action for Post-Online Learning
Reports
The second in our Coping With Covid series, this report includes quotes that underscore that while school districts were forced to quickly pivot to online learning for student safety, many could have better addressed both student and educator needs.

Youth Perspectives on Designing Equitable Out-of-School-Time Programs
Reports
A brief report alongside the Wallace Foundation on how young people from marginalized communities may experience out-of-school-time programming, including that they are sometimes treated differently because of race, gender identity or other factors.