Iheoma U. Iruka

Iheoma U. Iruka, PhD
Senior Advisor
Children’s Equity Project, Arizona State University
Research Professor and Founding Director
Equity Research Action Coalition at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute

Dr. Iheoma U. Iruka is a Research Professor in the Department of Public Policy, a Fellow at the Frank Porter Graham, Child Development Institute (FPG), a Founding Director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at FPG at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Senior Advisor for the Children’s Equity Project. Dr. Iruka is engaged in projects and initiatives focused on how evidence-informed policies, systems, and practices in early education can support the optimal development and experiences of children from low-wealth and marginalized households and communities. Her work focuses on family engagement and support, quality rating and improvement systems, and the early care and education system and programs. She focuses on addressing how best to ensure excellence for young diverse learners, especially Black children and their families, through the intersection of research, program, and policy. Dr. Iruka serves and or has served on numerous national and local boards and committees, including the Brady Education Foundation, Trust for Learning, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committees on Supporting Parents of Young Children, and Applying Neurobiological and Socio-behavioral Sciences from Prenatal through Early Childhood Development: A Health Equity Approach, and the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs Racial Disparities in PreK-12 Education.