Dr. Catherine Voulgarides is an Assistant Professor at CUNY—Hunter College, where she focuses on educational inequities, particularly in special education, disability studies, and how legal frameworks shape access and equity in schools. Her work critically examines the limitations of legal protections and compliance in promoting equity for students with disabilities, exploring the historical, political, structural, and procedural barriers that perpetuate inequality.

Prior to her academic career, Dr. Voulgarides worked as a special education teacher in New York City public schools, where she gained firsthand experience with the challenges and complexities of supporting students with disabilities.

Dr. Voulgarides’ institution faculty biography can be found here: LINK.

Highlighted Publications

• Kramarczuk Voulgarides, C. (2018) Does Compliance Matter in Special Education? IDEA and the Hidden Inequities of Practice. Teachers College Press. New York, NY. 

• Kramarczuk Voulgarides, C., Aylward, A., Tefera, A., Artiles, A. J., Alvarado, S. L., & Noguera, P. (2021). Unpacking the Logic of Compliance in Special Education: Contextual Influences on Discipline Racial Disparities in Suburban Schools. Sociology of Education, 00380407211013322

• Kramarczuk Voulgarides, C. (2022). The promises and pitfalls of mandating racial equity in special education. Phi Delta Kappan, 103(6), 14-20 

Key Funded Projects

• Principal Investigator (PI). Systems, Policy, and Finance; National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER); Institute of Education Sciences (IES) ($1.7 million). Dr. Natasha Strassfeld, The University of Texas-Austin (Co-PI); Dr. Alexandra Aylward, University of Nevada, Reno (Co-PI); Dr. Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng, New York University (Co-I). A Mixed Methods Comparative Exploration of IDEA Racial Equity Policy to Inform Research, Policy, and Practice. 

• Principal Investigator (PI). Spencer Foundation Conference Grant (2022-2023, $49,050). Rachel Fish, New York University (Co-PI), Maria Cioe Pena, University of Pennsylvania (Co-PI). Envisioning an Interdisciplinary Future for Special Education and Gifted Racial Equity Research.

• Co-Project Director (Co-PD). U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services; Office of Special Education Programs (2024 – 2029, $3.6 million). Natasha Strassfeld, The University of Texas at Austin (PD, PI); Lauren Hampton, University of Texas at Austin (Co-PD); Kathleen Zimmerman, University of Kansas (Co-PD); Maria Hugh, University of Kansas (Co-PI); Alana Schnitz, University of Kansas (Co-PI); Gregory Cheatham, University of Kansas (Co-PI); Rosa Rivera-McCutchen, City University of New York, Hunter College (Co-PI); Rhonda Bondie, City University of New York, Hunter College (Co-PI). Preparing Early Childhood Special Education Researchers for Diverse Settings (EARLY).

Education

• New York University - PhD

• Pace University - MST

• McGill University - BA