Stellaard earned her PhD. in 2023 with her research titled "Boomerang Policy - On the Continuing Tragedy in Special Education and Youth Care Policy," at the Faculty of Social Sciences at VU Amsterdam. In her dissertation, she demonstrates that government policy on special education and youth care has failed to achieve its main goals for at least forty years, and moreover, it creates new problems. There is a vicious circle: reforms lead to problems, which in turn prompt further reforms. This makes the policy more complex and its implementation more expensive, while children hardly benefit, according to Stellaard.
Her research received extensive media coverage. Stellaard appeared on programs such as Nieuwsuur and was featured in NRC, de Volkskrant, the Reformatorisch Dagblad, and various professional journals.
Both the public and journalists can vote for the Women in Media Awards 2023 until February 14th. A jury will ultimately select the winner from the three candidates with the most votes. The announcement will be made on March 8th at Beeld en Geluid in Hilversum.