Rena Deitz
Email: rena.deitz@nyu.edu
Program: International Education
Research Interests: education in emergencies, education and conflict, politics of education, forced migration, social and emotional learning, adolescent and youth development
Principal Advisor(s): Dana Burde (NYU)
Dissertation Committee Members: Alejandro Ganimian (NYU), Cyrus Samii (NYU), Stephanie Jones (Harvard)
Research Description/Bio: Rena Deitz is a doctoral candidate in International Education at NYU. Her research interests focus on education in humanitarian contexts, especially those affected by conflict. She studies how children's holistic development and related interventions manifest across culture and context, and the influence of international aid. Through this research, she aims to improve and measure social, emotional, and cognitive skills in the aftermath of or during ongoing conflict, and understand how such skills can contribute to well-being, education, workforce engagement and peacebuilding.
Rena has developed and studied education and social emotional learning (SEL) programs across diverse contexts and populations for more than a decade. She has served as an adjunct professor at NYU and an education researcher, technical advisor, curriculum developer, and program manager for the International Rescue Committee, UNESCO, USAID, and the LEGO Foundation, among others. She holds a Master of Arts in International Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Tufts University.
Publications and Presentations:
Academic Publications:
Kim, H.Y., Brown, L., Tubbs Dolan, C., Gjicali, K., Deitz, R., del Sol Prieto Bayona, M., Aber, J.L. (2023). Testing the Impact of a Skill-Targeted Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum and its Variation by Pre- and Post-Migration Conflict Experiences: A Cluster Randomized Trial with Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon. Journal of Educational Psychology.
Deitz, R. (2023). [Review of film: Sandlines, the Story of History directed by Francis Alÿs, codirected by Julien Devaux, and produced by Francis Alÿs in coproduction with the Ruya Foundation]. Comparative Education Review, 66(4), 790-791.
Deitz, R., & Rajan, S. (2017). Access and barriers to implementing yoga-based interventions for at-risk adolescent youth. International Journal of Health Promotion and Education, 55(1), 30-41.
Under Review:
Deitz, R. and Lahmann, H. (Under review, 2023). What she or he needs: The gender implications for adolescent social emotional learning in conflict. [Unpublished Manuscript]. New York University.
Deitz, R. and Lahmann, H. (Accepted Proposal, Manuscript Under Review, 2023). Social Emotional Learning across contexts, cultures, and crises: How it varies and the implications for equity. New York University
Kim, H.Y., Deitz, R., and Aber, J.L. (Invited, Anticipated 2023 Publication). “SEL in Countries Facing Conflict and Crisis.” in Durlak, J., Domitrovich, C. and Mahoney, J. (Eds) Handbook of Social and Emotional Learning, Second Edition.
Dunlop, E. and Deitz, R. (Invited, Anticipated 2023 Publication). “Education in Early Reconstruction” in Wiseman, A., Anderson, E., Damaschke-Deitrick, L., Galegher, E., Dzotsenidze, N., and Park. M. (Eds) The Handbook of Comparative Education. Edward Elgar Publishers.
Select Other Publications:
Deitz, R. (2022). The need to decolonize SEL. [Invited Blog]. UNESCO MGIEP.
Deitz, R., Lahmann, H., & Thompson, T. (2021). Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Systematic Review. Dexis Consulting Group.
Select Presentations (since 2021):
Deitz, R. (2023, April 5) Translating SEL in Palabek Refugee Settlement, Uganda. Selected Submission. Social Emotional Learning and Soft Skills Measurement Taskforce Localization Roundtable. Virtual.
Deitz, R. and Lahmann, H. (2023, February 21). What she or he needs: Why gender matters for youth SEL in emergencies. Comparative and International Education Society. Washington, D.C., USA.
Deitz, R. (2023, February 18). How is Local Different? Creating and Testing a Measure of Social Emotional Learning in Palabek Refugee Settlement, Uganda. Comparative and International Education Society. Washington, D.C., USA.
Deitz, R. (2022, April 18). Measuring What Matters: Developing a locally-relevant measure of social emotional learning (SEL) for and by refugee youth in Uganda. Comparative and International Education Society. Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Deitz, R. (2022, April 20). Translating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to Development and Humanitarian Contexts: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. Comparative and International Education Society. Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Deitz, R. (2022, February 2). Summary of the state of social and emotional learning: Systematic Review of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). USAID Africa Resilience and Education Workshop. Online.
Deitz, R. and Lahmann, H. (2022, February 2). The state of social and emotional learning: What we know about the transfer and effects of SEL. RTI International Education Team. Online.
Deitz, R. (2022, January 18). Introduction to Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Invited Talk: Visiting American Professionals Program for Iraq. IREX.
Deitz, R. and Lahmann, H. (2021, November). The state of social and emotional learning: What we know about the transfer and effects of SEL. World Council of Comparative Education Societies Symposium. Online.
Deitz, R. (2021, September). Translating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to Development and Humanitarian Contexts: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness. Online.
Deitz, R., Lahmann, H., Thompson, T. (2021, September 1). Overview of the Systematic Review of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). USAID Education Sector Council. Online.