Addressing the Divide in Education through Research, Practice, and Policy

Abbas Abbasov is a Ph.D. student in the Comparative and International Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Abbas’ research explores questions around access to higher education, internationalization of higher education and educational philanthropy in the post-Soviet region.

Dr. Jeyran Aghayeva is an assistant professor of education management at ADA University. She received her Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education from Michigan State University. Her current research explores female student mobility in Azerbaijan. Other research interests include faculty teaching motivation, teaching and learning in higher education, student success and retention, and international education.

Dr. Samira Hajiyeva earned her Ph.D. in K-12 educational administration from Michigan State University. The focus of her doctoral dissertation was to describe and interpret how school leaders develop teacher trust and collaboration in post-Soviet versus U.S. contexts. Particularly she intended to identify what early stages of leadership support for teacher trust and collaboration might look like in post-Soviet contexts seeking to transform school leadership and teaching practices. She believes that these understandings can shed light on early stages of leadership support for teacher trust and collaboration that might look like in post-Soviet Azerbaijan seeking to transform school leadership and teaching practices. Currently, Dr. Samira Hajiyeva works as an assistant professor at ADA University. She thinks that fostering effective school leaders will powerfully influence teaching and learning, leading to school improvement in Azerbaijan. Therefore, she is interested in supporting aspiring school leaders through developing a long-term school leadership program to involve who seek to change the views of micromanagers and become change agents to fully devote themselves to the school improvement process.

Dr. Vafa Yunusova is an Assistant Professor in Education Management in the School of Education, ADA University. Mrs. Vafa Yunusova earned her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Michigan State University, the U.S. in 2019. She received BC and MA from Azerbaijan University of Languages. Prior to joining to ADA University English Language for Academic Purposes Program, Dr. Vafa Yunusova earned a tenure track and first started to work as a senior lecturer at the department of Regional Studies and International Relations at Azerbaijan University of Languages. Then, she transitioned to the department of Innovations and Further Education of the same respected university. Dr. Vafa Yunusova has explored the structure and practice of academic advising in four-year colleges of a big research university in the U.S. while pursuing her Ph.D. degree. Her research interests span academic advising, student success and retention, teaching and learning, and leadership in higher education, education management and international education. Mrs. Vafa Yunusova graduated from the Intensive Course in Development Skills in Training Teachers and Trainers, Warwick University, the UK CELTE in 2004 and Language Teacher Trainers Course, Essex University, International Academy, the UK in 2010. As of 2008-2017, during the summer terms, Mrs. Vafa Yunusova has been a visiting scholar in the U.S. and taught Azerbaijani Language at SWSEEL and School of Global & International Studies, Indiana University Summer Language Workshops and worked as a material developer at CeLCAR, IU. In addition, Mrs. Vafa Yunusova has made numerous contributions to in-service teacher training projects as a trainer of trainers and studied classroom teaching within the framework of In-service Teacher Training in British Council Azerbaijan, Baku 2003-2007. Dr. Vafa Yunusova is co-author of A Baseline Survey of English Language Teaching in Azerbaijan, Chapter 3: Classroom Teaching, British Council Azerbaijan, Baku 2003-2005.