Simi Adebola
Hi, I’m Simisola — an education researcher, storyteller, and lifelong question-asker.
My work sits at the intersection of equity, data, and institutional practice. I examine how education systems produce outcomes, and how inequality is often reproduced within the very language of reform, inclusion, and progress.
Alongside my academic research, I analyse education data to support more equitable outcomes and work with organisations seeking to move beyond performative change toward structural transformation. I developed the concept of benevolent disadvantage — the process through which institutions reproduce inequality through well-intentioned equity, care, and inclusion practices that constrain rather than liberate marginalised groups, often operating through the illusion of equity rather than its material realisation. I write, create film, and contribute to global conversations about the limits of data-driven reform and the illusion of progress in education systems.
