Raul Fernandez

Dr. Raul Fernandez is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, where he studies, writes, and teaches about inequities in education, and Executive Director of Brookline for Racial Justice & Equity, where he rallies his neighbors in the relentless pursuit of racial and economic justice. He has been named a Public Impact Scholar by the Initiative on Cities and a Massachusetts Education Policy Fellow by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.

While Chair of DESE’s Racial Imbalance Advisory Council, he co-authored Racial Segregation in Massachusetts Schools, the first report in a generation to evidence the substantial and pervasive disparities between segregated white and nonwhite schools in Massachusetts.

Raul also served as a member of Brookline Select Board – the first Latinx person elected to that position. During his time there he created a working group to support public housing residents, a Racial Equity Advancement Fund, and a task force to reimagine public safety.

Raul’s recent academic pursuits have focused on how policymaking through the courts, state legislatures, and the federal government impact education policy and practice. He recently launched a new graduate-level course on School Segregation, which is also being taught to BPS principals and central office staff as part of the BPS Dr. Carol Johnson District Leadership Fellowship.