INCLUSIVE EDUCATION CONSULTANT
Sophia M. D'Angelo, PhD
Evidence-informed leadership to shape education policy and practice in development and humanitarian contexts.
Evidence Reviews
Turn academic and/or grey literature into a set of key recommendations for diverse stakeholders, including policy makers, donors, practitioners, the private sector, or government. (Includes rapid evidence reviews, systematic literature reviews, mapping of education sector plans and policies, or matrices of scalable, sustainable, and cost-effective approaches).
Design, Monitoring and Evaluation
Design a new project or adapt an existing one.
Build a monitoring and evaluation plan or results framework.
Assess or evaluate a current project or policy.
Conduct a gender analysis of a current project or policy.
Creative Content
Create a new teacher training module, a curriculum for students or parents, an online training or guidance note for policy makers and practitioners. Have a short timeline? Create quickly by drawing on Open Educational Resources (OERs). (May include creating products through a participatory approach, virtually or in person).
Publications
- All
- Disability
- Gender
- EiE
- ECCE
- Youth
- Teachers
- EdTech
- Curriculum & Skills
- Global
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Latin America & the Caribbean
- South Asia
Inclusive Education Consultant
Sophia M. D'Angelo
Sophia is a former teacher and teacher trainer, with over 10 years of experience working in low- and middle-income countries. Raised in the US, she graduated with a BA in Spanish Literature and Culture from Princeton University, before moving to the Dominican Republic where she found her calling in education and international development. She then moved to the UK for four years, while completing an MPhil and PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge. She has since supported projects on the ground and remotely in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. Currently based in the Dominican Republic with her partner, Sophia is an avid football (soccer) player and enjoys going on runs with her two dogs.
References
"I loved working with Sophia and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a brilliant mind, excellent analytical skills, ability to quickly synthesize large amounts of literature, and really good and clear writing. Sophia supported work across GPE’s equity and inclusion portfolio and it was a huge pleasure having her on the team."
"Sophia has been an exceptional colleague. While with ODI, she supported the drafting of a major report on secondary education led by Mastercard Foundation. Her contributions to this work were invaluable. In addition to carrying out background research, and referencing, she drafted several thematic inserts which added considerable depth to the study. She was contentious, demonstrated impeccable attention to detail, and delivered under tight, often shifting timelines."
"Sophia is one of the most passionate educators I've had the pleasure of working with, and I'm always impressed by her commitment to ensuring education delivers on its promise of creating better opportunities for all children. Her enthusiasm, and work ethic were inspiring to those around her and were instrumental to raising the overall quality of DREAM's programming. Over the year she worked at DREAM, the teachers she supervised showed significant professional growth, and were motivated to go beyond what was expected to ensure their students met learning goals. She not only built their professional skills but also their confidence and their pride in being educators. As her supervisor, I always knew that I could count on Sophia to push herself and others to provide our students with the best experience possible."
"I commissioned Sophia and her colleague to produce teacher professional development modules for Save the Children’s ‘Enabling Teachers’ approach. She had also volunteered with us a year earlier. On both occasions, Sophia produced very high quality work, delivered on time. She demonstrated a strong understanding of current thinking around teacher professional development - both the international literature, and the practical considerations associated with making teaching modules user-friendly and adaptable to context. I look forward to the opportunity to work with her again in the future."
"Sophia taught me what it truly means to do meaningful work in disability-inclusive education for the betterment of children with disabilities, minority groups, and underrepresented communities. With her kindness, knowledge, and professionalism, she allowed me to ask many of the questions that we often hesitate to raise in a culture that tends to value the pretense of knowing everything. I believe this reflects what Sophia brings to the table: a deep commitment to inclusive education, technical expertise, interpersonal skills, and a drive to inspire and constantly remind us that we can always do better for those who need us most. Sophia moves seamlessly between research and practice. Her ability to translate research into relevant and actionable policy guidelines is remarkable, complementing her respect for clients and beneficiaries and her understanding of the importance of including their voices in policy recommendations. Sophia is also a true team player. She fosters a respectful and dynamic working environment, contributing to both individual and collective success. She encourages open dialogue, allowing others to disagree with her positions in order to find common ground and better solutions. I highly recommend Sophia to any organization seeking a thoughtful, results-driven leader in education and disability inclusion. I know I would gratefully work with her again."
"Sophia was recommended to me by a contact at EdTech hub to join a roundtable event on distance learning that I was organizing with Sesame Workshop. Sophia was an invaluable presenter and contributor, advising us on best practices for using digital media for distance learning with considerations for gender equity and teacher professional development. She was very responsive and engaging during the entire process and brought a great energy to the event. I would highly recommend working with Sophia and hope that we have the chance to work together again. Thank you!"
Clients
