Courtney Sales

The Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) | Boston, Massachusetts

Reimagining School Reintegration for Court Involved Youth 

Courtney Rodriguez Sales is a doctoral student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, pursuing a Doctorate in Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) with a focus on systems-level change at the intersection of education, law, and public policy. Her work spans the classroom, courtroom, and boardroom, reflecting a career dedicated to improving outcomes for children most impacted by public systems.

Courtney began her career as a fifth-grade teacher in her hometown of the Bronx, New York, before becoming a juvenile public defender, where she represented court-involved youth navigating both legal and educational systems. She later worked at central office in one of Pennsylvania’s largest school districts, serving as the sole project manager for professional development and supporting instructional improvement at scale.

She has also founded and led a public elementary school serving students in historically underserved communities, building systems for instruction, operations, and staff development. These experiences inform her scholarship, including her published article, Saving the Nation’s Expendable Children, which examines how institutional systems contribute to the exclusion of vulnerable youth.

Through her Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellowship with the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, Courtney will focus on reimagining school and community re-entry systems for court-involved youth.