Ashley Boal

Overview

Ashley Boal is a Senior Research Associate for the Justice and Prevention Research Center at WestEd. She brings years of experience conducting research and evaluation studies across a diverse range of content areas including education, criminal justice, violence against women, and mental and physical health. Boal’s work is grounded in the assumption that student achievement and success go beyond focusing on academic content knowledge—it is imperative that students feel safe and supported in their home and school environments to live happy and healthy lives. 

Boal’s recent work includes leading projects to evaluate implementation and outcomes associated with training for school resource officers; training for investigators of internet crimes against children; state school safety centers; community school initiatives; the collective impact of district-specific interventions (e.g., restorative justice, social-emotional learning programs, school climate programming); and use of trauma-engaged practices in schools. These projects are funded by a variety of agencies including the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the California Department of Education.  

Across projects, Boal is well-versed in the integration of quantitative and qualitative methodologies and has experience designing and executing complex mixed-methods projects. She is certified in What Works Clearinghouse Version 5.0 standards and has carried out both descriptive and rigorous studies. Her work has been published in prominent academic journals including Psychological Assessment, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Community Psychology, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services, and Violence and Victims. 

Education

• PhD in applied psychology, Portland State University 
• MS in applied psychology, Portland State University 
• BA in psychology, University of California – Irvine  

Select Publications

Boal, A., Gara, T., & Zimiles, J. (2023). California community schools partnership program: Findings from the pre-post assessment of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund cohort. WestEd. 

Boal, A., Russo, S., Quinn Washington, A., White, S., Munoz, E., Sutherland, H., & McKenna, J. (2023). Research and evaluation on school safety: Perceptions of state school safety center supports and services. WestEd. 

Boal, A., Russo, S., Sutherland, H., Choi, K., MacDougall, P., & Petrosino, A. (2023). A national evaluation of internet crimes against children task force training: Final report. WestEd.  

Boal, A., Choi, K., Jones, L. M., Goh, L., Lee, H., MacDougall, P., & Petrosino, A. (2022). Technology-facilitated crimes against children: The scope of the problem and interventions. In H. Lim (Ed.), Interpersonal violence against children and youth. Lexington Books.  

Wendt, S., Boal, A., Russo, S., & Nakamoto, J. (2021). Implementing a sexual risk avoidance intervention in a juvenile justice setting: What we learned, and how it can help others. Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services, 101–117. 

Abroms, L. C., Heminger, C. L., Boal, A., Van Alystyne, J. M., & Krishnan, N. (2020). Text2Quit: An analysis of user experiences with a mobile smoking cessation program. Journal of Smoking Cessation, 15(1), 23–28. 

Petrosino, A., Boal, A., & Mays, A. (2018). Policy responses to a high profile school tragedy. Translational Criminology, 15, 4–6. 

Boal, A., Abroms, L. C., Graham, A. L., Simmens, S., & Carpenter, K. M. (2016). Combined quitline counseling and text messaging for smoking cessation: A quasi-experimental evaluation. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 18(5), 1046–1053. 

Boal, A., Vaughan, C. A., Sims, C. S., & Miles, J. N. V. (2016). Measurement invariance across administration model: Examining the PTSD Checklist. Psychological Assessment, 29(1), 76–86. 

Heminger, C. L., Abroms, L. C., Boal, A., & Zumer, M. (2016). Text2Quit: An analysis of participant engagement in the mobile smoking cessation program. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 42(4), 450–458. 

Loera, G., Nakamoto, J., Boal, A., Wendt, S. J., Beck, C., & Cherry, C. (2016). Growth in career academy students’ experience, knowledge, and self-confidence related to health care careers. Career and Technical Education Research, 41(1), 13–31. 

Abroms, L. C., Boal, A., Simmens, S., Mendel, J., & Windsor, R. A. (2014). A randomized trial of Text2Quit: A text messaging program for smoking cessation. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(3), 242–250. 

Boal, A., & Mankowski, E. (2014). Barriers to compliance with batterer intervention program standards. Violence and Victims, 29(4), 607–619. 

Boal, A., & Mankowski, E. (2014). The impact of legislative standards on domestic violence intervention program practices and characteristics. American Journal of Community Psychology, 53(1), 218–230. 

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Methodological and Statistical Advisor, Journal of Contemporary School Psychology