Dr. Allison Starks is a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU Steinhardt in the Department of Administration, Leadership and Technology. Prior to her appointment, she earned a PhD in Education and Human Development in Context from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). She also holds a Masters of Teaching degree from the University of Virginia and Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and English from the University of Georgia.
Dr. Starks is an experienced educator, designer, and researcher focused on emerging technologies, child development, and digital learning across settings. Dr. Starks is passionate about understanding how technology can support learning and development, especially for young people. Her research looks at important questions like: How do kids make sense of artificial intelligence in their daily lives? How can we best support critical digital literacies? And how can we create developmentally aligned digital learning experiences? She has hands-on experience implementing and evaluating educational technology in large school districts and works directly with young people to create tools for empowered media use. Dr. Starks collaborates with well-known organizations like Harvard University's Center for Digital Thriving, Common Sense Media, and the U.S. Department of Education to bridge the gap between research and real-world practice in educational technology.
Prior to joining NYU, Dr. Starks was a consultant with the Center for Digital Thriving and a Research and Improvement Specialist at Fairfax County Public Schools. While conducting research at UCI, Dr. Starks was awarded the Distinguished Public Impact Fellowship by UCI’s Graduate Division, the Graduate Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship and the Division of Teaching Excellence and Inclusion Travel Grant. Part of her work in applied educational settings has also been funded by a US Department of Education training grant. Dr. Starks began her career as a classroom teacher in K-12 public schools. As an edtech coordinator and school-based technology coach, she led schools and districts in integrating technology, improving family-school communication around technology, and developing digital literacy programs for students.