Heather Bland
Research Manager
Expertise
Heather Bland is a Research Manager for the Education Lab. In this role, Heather manages a portfolio of three projects focused on youth violence intervention and school re-engagement in partnership with the Chicago Public Schools.
Prior to working at the Education Lab, Heather interned with the Crime Lab and supported several internal and external communication initiatives with the Chicago Police Department. Heather holds an MA in Digital Communication and Media Arts and a BA in Public Relations and Advertising from DePaul University.
Youth Advocate Programs
The Crime Lab and Education Lab, in partnership with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP), conducted a randomized controlled trial of YAP’s wraparound advocacy services to evaluate the program’s impact on youth academic outcomes and violence engagement outcomes.
Working on Womanhood
In 2017, the University of Chicago Education Lab partnered with the Mayor’s Office, Chicago Public Schools and Youth Guidance to understand the effects of Youth Guidance’s Working on Womanhood program as part of the Mayor’s Mentoring Initiative.
Choose to Change
The Choose to Change program combines trauma-informed therapy with wraparound supports with the goal of reducing youth violence while improving educational outcomes outside of an institutional setting.
