Sara Goodkind

Professor Sara Goodkind earned a PhD in social work and sociology, a graduate certificate in women’s studies, and an MSW, all from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Goodkind is a critical feminist scholar whose work examines the structural roots of what are often perceived as individual-level “problems.” Specifically, much of her research and scholarship focus on social service programs and systems that work with young people, concentrating on young people’s experiences in educational, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems and how these systems both construct and meet the needs of the young people they serve. Dr. Goodkind’s research examines and exposes institutional biases and systemic inequities, tracing young people’s pathways through systems and providing evidence and recommendations for systems and policy change. Dr. Goodkind developed her research interests through her work with young people as a teacher, mentor, facilitator, and social worker, and she is engaged in collaborative community-engaged research and advocacy aimed at effecting systemic change.

Dr. Goodkind shares the editor-in-chief role of the feminist social work journal Affilia with Drs. Mimi Kim and Jennifer Zelnick. Affilia aims to publish articles that raise new questions, challenge assumptions about knowledge, present innovative theories and methodologies, disrupt power hierarchies, and link theory and practice through praxis. Affilia’s editorial board is convening a Critical Feminisms Special Interest Group (SIG) via the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). This SIG invites social work scholars at any career stage who integrate - or are interested in - critical intersectional feminist theories and methods in their research programs. Its purpose is to foster intellectual community, exchange, and collaboration and to serve as a mechanism for advancing critical feminist scholarship and enriching the broader field of social work research through feminist theories and methods.

With Kimberly Booth, Dr. Goodkind is co-convener of the Black Girls Equity Alliance Juvenile Justice Workgroup. The BGEA is focused on eradicating inequities affecting Black girls in Allegheny County, and the juvenile justice workgroup is leading collaborative efforts aimed at systemic changes that disrupt pathways to juvenile justice for Black youth. 

Dr. Goodkind is part of the Pittsburgh Wage Study team, which documents the experiences of low-wage workers and the impacts of incremental wage increases on their and their families’ well-being. This longitudinal, mixed-methods study is aimed at generating understanding to support advocates, policy makers, and employers in ensuring that Pittsburgh is a livable city for all of its residents.

Research Interests

• Juvenile justice
• School-to-prison pipeline
• Feminism and feminist praxis
• Gender-responsive services
• Participatory research with young people
• Community-engaged research