Dr. Julia McWilliams (“Dr. Mc”) is a lecturer in the Critical Writing Program at the Marks Family Center for Excellence in Writing as well as associated faculty in the Urban Studies Program. She earned a joint doctorate in urban education and cultural anthropology from Penn in 2017. Dr. Mc’s teaching experience spans Critical Writing Seminars centering urban education reform, immigration, and environmental studies to English as a Second Language and writing in Philadelphia’s neighborhood schools and international schools across Southeast Asia. Beyond the academy, she has extensive experience with nonprofit grant writing and developmental editing. Her current research explores the relationship between school choice policies like characterization and mass school closures and the health and stability of neighborhood schools. Dr. Mc’s recent manuscript, Compete or Close: Traditional Neighborhood Schools Under Pressure (Harvard Education Press, 2019) is a culmination of this work along with other peer-reviewed articles appearing in journals such as Teachers College Record, Anthropology and Education Quarterly, and Policy Futures in Education. She is a recipient of fellowships and grants from the National Academy of Education, Spencer Foundation, and Roothbert Foundation.
