Raquel Muñiz: Law and Education in Service of Equity — Penn State Alumna Earns Prestigious Early Career Award

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Raquel Muñiz, associate professor at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development, has been honored with the American Educational Research Association’s (AERA) 2025 Early Career Award, recognizing a distinguished record of education research in the early stages of an academic career.

Muñiz’s recognition reflects her distinctive interdisciplinary approach, shaped by her dual degrees from Penn State — a Juris Doctor from Penn State Law and a Ph.D. in educational theory and policy from the Penn State College of Education, both earned in 2018. Her work intricately explores how law and policy influence educational equity, particularly for marginalized communities.

A Dual Path Fueled by Personal Experience

Muñiz’s decision to pursue both law and education was deeply rooted in her upbringing in South Texas and the educational inequities she experienced directly.

“The impetus for me to pursue both goes back to two things: my own experience growing up in South Texas and witnessing some educational issues firsthand,” she said. “It wasn’t until later that I realized what I was really interested in understanding was governance — what does that look like? I chose law because it allowed me to explore how laws are shaped and enforced. But I wanted to make sure I was preparing myself in an educational context as well. Applying to the education theory and policy Ph.D. program allowed me to answer questions I didn’t even know I had.”

This dual expertise has empowered her to examine educational equity through a multifaceted lens. 

“All my work focuses on educational equity — how law shapes educational institutions — with much of it focused on courts, legal actors and policy more broadly construed,” Muñiz explained.

Her time at Penn State was formative, particularly her involvement with programs like Upward Bound and Penn State Law’s Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (CIRC). Upward Bound Programs consists of five federally funded grants that collectively serve 369 students each year from nine target high schools in eight counties. CIRC is a nationally recognized in-house clinic focused on immigration and directed by its founder Professor ​Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia. The CIRC provides law students with hands-on clinical training in immigration law through three pillars: community outreach and education, pro bono legal support, and policy work.

“Being in Upward Bound, you really see the impact policy has on the ground. Working with first-generation students from low-income, rural and urban backgrounds helped me understand these problems beyond theory,” she said. “At the Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, I got to conduct a study on undocumented lawyers, which gave me firsthand exposure to immigrant rights issues, especially in a harsh political climate.”

Research at the Intersection of Law, Policy, and Racialization

Muñiz’s scholarship critically interrogates structural power in education, focusing on how law and policy can both perpetuate and dismantle inequities. 

“When I think about structural power, I think about law — the spirit, the intent, who’s involved in creating laws — but also about the power of communities to define themselves and empower each other even in marginalized spaces,” she said.

Her research is purposefully contextual and systemic. “It’s a multi-systemic problem,” Muñiz said. “We need to think about the context and intervene at different levels — from community to courts to legislation. One challenge is courts can only rule on the information in front of them, so bringing in broader knowledge to inform those decisions is critical.”

One of her notable recent studies, co-authored with colleagues, examined federal Section 504 plans designed to support students with disabilities. The research found that the law’s intentional vagueness created opportunities for misuse, often privileging families with greater resources. Muñiz emphasized the need for proactive enforcement and awareness of biases.

“Even with perfect laws, biases exist,” she said. “We have to move toward awareness and proactive approaches, including training and clarifying roles at the federal, state and local levels.”

"I have been fortunate to work collaboratively with Dr. Muñiz on multiple projects since she graduated from Penn State,” said Maria Lewis, associate professor of education policy studies at Penn State, who has acted as a mentor and co-author of Muñiz. “In each of these projects, Muñiz has consistently challenged our team of researchers to think critically about the depth of our connections to theory and methodology. Dr. Muñiz is a creative, thoughtful researcher who is deeply committed to engaging in critically-oriented research in service to minoritized communities. She provides a much-needed perspective to the field and I'm so happy to see her work recognized through the AERA 2025 Early Career Award." 

Recognition and Future Directions

The AERA Early Career Award, she said, is both an honor and a validation. 

“I love research and writing. I’m a licensed attorney, so technically I could be practicing law, but I love studying these questions,” Muñiz said. “This award affirms that this work is important to continue.”

Currently, Muñiz is leading a five-year, William T. Grant Foundation-funded study investigating how legal professionals incorporate nonlegal research knowledge to better serve marginalized clients and disrupt systems like the school-to-prison pipeline. 

“I’m working with attorneys who think holistically about their clients, using research knowledge to disrupt oppressive systems,” she said.

Her award-winning scholarship also includes an analysis of litigation surrounding anti-critical race theory state laws, work that earned her the 2024 Steven S. Goldberg Award for outstanding legal writing in education law. 

Discussing the political challenges of the topic, Muñiz noted, “It was surprising how little litigation pushed back against these laws. The research reveals legal and philosophical issues we’re still unpacking.”

Teaching and Mentorship: Bridging Theory and Practice

At Boston College, Muñiz integrates her research into her teaching with a focus on law and policy’s broader social context. 

“My courses don’t just identify what the law says but challenge students to think ethically about how to create equitable institutions,” she said. She recently taught a course on critical race theory, which she describes as a highlight of her teaching career.

Muñiz also leads innovative projects like the grant-funded “Interactive Learning Experiences Promoting Practical Wisdom,” which uses real-world scenarios to engage students in decision-making that blends legal knowledge with ethical reflection.

A Grateful and Forward-Looking Scholar

Reflecting on her journey, Muñiz expressed profound gratitude.

“I’m always really grateful for everyone at Penn State who supported me from the get-go,” she said. “So many people have been instrumental in my development.”

With a career marked by interdisciplinary scholarship, impactful research, and committed teaching, Muñiz stands out as a transformative voice in education law and policy — one who continues to illuminate pathways toward equity and justice in education.