Presentations & Publications
Pubs.
Dissertation Defense: Cliff Freeman, Ph.D.
AuthorsCliff Freeman
Date2026
Presented atBoston University
Dissertation defense presentation by Cliff Freeman, Ph.D., at Boston University. This video captures the culminating public defense of his doctoral research on near-peer STEM education, youth leadership, and culturally sustaining pedagogies in mathematics and computer science.
Watch NowModels of Leadership in Youth Near-Peer STEM Teaching Organizations
AuthorsCliff Freeman, Eli Tucker-Raymond, Katherine K. Frankel, Maria Olivares
DateDecember 27, 2025
Published inJournal of Adolescent Research, Vol. 41, No. 2 (March 2026)
Organizations that create opportunities for youth (14–21 years old) to be near-peer educators empower youth leadership through relational and community-oriented commitments. In this study, we describe how youth, employed to teach others STEM subjects, understand leadership, including what good leadership looks like and how the organizations they work for support their development as leaders. We include in-depth interviews with six youth community STEM educators. Participants in our study characterized youth leadership in side-by-side or dialogic leadership styles which catalyzed a sense of responsibility and a focus on giving back to their self-identified communities. Leadership in youth near-peer teaching settings is not individual, rather participants see themselves as part of a leadership team. Organizations supported leadership by creating family like structures and distributing opportunities for leadership to everyone. To disrupt educational inequities, young people need, and can excel in, authentic opportunities to lead.
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Math Words For ToddlersA–Z · For Toddlers Series
AuthorsCliff Freeman, Math Sprouts Inc
DateApril 26, 2025
Published inIndependently Published
"Math Words For Toddlers (A-Z)", part of the engaging For Toddlers series, is a vibrant and thoughtfully designed picture book that introduces children aged 1 through 6 to the everyday wonders of math. From A to Z, this delightful book takes young readers on a journey through familiar objects and concepts that connect to math in fun and relatable ways. With eye-catching illustrations and simple, clear text, toddlers will discover items like an Abacus, Blocks, Dice, and even a Pie Chart.
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NSF STEM Video Hall: Building Capacity in Computer ScienceEducation and Student Near Peer Classroom Mentorship
AuthorsCliff Freeman, Colleagues at YPP, BPS, Bootstrap & BU
Date2023
Presented atNSF STEM for All Video Hall
Building Capacity in Computer Science (CS) Education and Student Near Peer Classroom Mentorship is a research-practice partnership between The Young People's Project (YPP), Boston Public Schools, Bootstrap, and Boston University. Our project aims to increase the number of computer science teachers by designing, evaluating, and iterating on a professional development model that includes trained 'College STEM Literacy Workers' who work alongside teachers in the classrooms. The goal of the project is to provide professional development for BPS teachers that uses a culturally responsive and sustaining classroom model of instruction developed by the Young People's Project and the Algebra Project which integrate Bootstrap CS curriculum into existing 9th grade algebra classrooms.
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Near-Peer Pedagogies for Culturally Sustaining Computer Science and Mathematics
AuthorsCliff Freeman, Colleagues at YPP & Boston University
Date2023
Published inJournal of Computer Science Integration (JCSI)
In this study, College STEM Literacy Workers act as co-teachers in 9th and 10th grade classrooms alongside mathematics teachers as they both learn to integrate a 30-hour integrated computer science/mathematics curriculum into their pedagogy and coursework. As part of the curriculum, the educator-learning, we adapted the Algebra Project's 'Model of Excellence' for culturally relevant, sustaining pedagogies. We used the framework to examine how teachers understand College STEM Literacy Workers' contributions in the classroom as College STEM Literacy Workers' own experiences in the classroom. We found that while teachers and College STEM Literacy Workers did not individually instantiate the model of excellence, they were able to achieve its constituent components between them. We explore differences between teachers and College STEM Literacy Workers and the ways in which they worked together. The work has implications for a new model of excellence.
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Lurch Forward: Eliminating Caste in American ClassroomsChapter 2
AuthorsCliff Freeman
Date2023
Published inTODOS: Mathematics for ALL
Chapter 2: Written by Cliff Freeman, this chapter presents a historical account of the Young People's Project (YPP), from its founding in 1996 to its pioneering efforts to position young people from historically disadvantaged communities as assets in creating innovative solutions in math education. The chapter provides an in-depth description of YPP's efforts to answer the question: 'What are too much struggling people have to do to help get Jim Crow out of education in the U.S.?' The chapter concludes with step-by-step guidance for starting a YPP in your community.
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Cliff Freeman: A Radical Solution
AuthorsCliff Freeman
DateApril 2023
Presented atOffice of Research, Boston University
A presentation hosted by the Office of Research at Boston University in which Cliff Freeman shares a radical solution to educational inequity — drawing on his work with The Young People's Project and near-peer STEM education as a transformative model for communities historically underserved by traditional schooling.
Watch NowRemembering Bob Moses: "If We Can Do It, Then We Should"
AuthorsCliff Freeman
DateAugust 3, 2021
Published inBU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
A personal essay by Cliff Freeman reflecting on his eleven-year relationship with Bob Moses — civil rights activist and founder of the Algebra Project. Freeman recounts how Moses mentored him at The Young People's Project, including a formative moment where Moses helped the team recognize a 'naming problem': students struggled because instructors used formal mathematical terminology rather than allowing learners to develop their own language first. The essay traces Moses's lifelong commitment to empowering marginalized communities and reflects on how his philosophy — 'If we can do it, then we should' — shaped Freeman's understanding of social responsibility in STEM education.
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How to Start PodcastingWhile Very Busy
AuthorsCliff Freeman
DateMay 2021
Published inSelf-Published / Amazon KDP
How To Start Podcasting While Very Busy was written by Cliff Freeman, a very busy Ph.D. student with the aspiring podcaster in mind. This book provides many key considerations a future podcaster needs to keep in mind as they begin their podcasting journey. This book has detailed playbooks for equipment, software, organization, launch, growth strategies, and free guest scheduling templates. By the end of this book, you will have all the knowledge needed to start your very own podcast!
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Broadening Participation in STEMBPS Tech Talk · CS Ed Week
AuthorsCliff Freeman
DateDecember 12, 2019
Presented atBoston Public Schools — Bolling Building
Cliff Freeman spoke at the first #BPSTechTalk during #CSEdWeek on December 12, 2019 at the Bolling Building, hosted by the Boston Public Schools. Cliff highlights the work The Young People's Project is doing to engage thousands of young people in Computer Science and Mathematics.
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