Xavier Fields

Xavier is a joint doctoral student in Sociology and Public Policy. His research looks broadly at how legal and organizational structures impact gender construction in schools. He is interested in how static identity categories used in state-level policy come into conflict with fluid identity categories embraced in recent queer social movements. His current project investigates how teachers use legal symbols in their classrooms, create gendered possibilities for their students, and make sense of their organizational positions. He is also a Research Assistant at Ford's Education Policy Initiative, working on the qualitative component of the mixed-methods evaluation of Michigan's Tuition Incentive Program.