Website: http://www.aerionline.org/
Dr. Rolanda West is a co-founder of the Alternative Education Research Institute (AERI). She established AERI to assist local community organizations and activists in the research and development of programs that would provide educational opportunities for population that have been overlooked. Dr. West is also a part-time faculty member at Northeastern Illinois University in the Justice Studies Department in addition to teaching alternative education programs at local, community-based organizations in Los Angeles and Chicago. Outside of teaching, she has worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles Unified School District and is the co-founder of a non-profit organization developing empowerment education and reentry programs. Dr. West holds an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Loyola University in Chicago. For the past decade, Dr. West has worked as an instructor, program consultant and community activist for formerly incarcerated youth and adults, as well as other under-represented populations. Her research interests include social justice education, alternative education strategies, and criminal justice.