Dr. Speciale’s research and teaching bring decolonial and critical perspectives to the fields of comparative and international education, language and education policy and practice, and anthropology of education. Her research is broadly concerned with how concepts and policies of multilingualism and global citizenship are understood, negotiated, resisted, and (re)produced by different school actors. Her prior research was a comparative case study of two bilingual schools (French-English and French-Arabic) in Dakar, Senegal. Her current project examines the implementation of International Baccalaureate programs in U.S. public schools.

As an educator, Dr. Speciale is dedicated to supporting students to develop their theoretical and analytical tools to help them take action in their communities. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in International Education from The George Washington University, and a B.A. in linguistics from Boston University.