Expertise

I have been a professional educator for over 24 years. Prior to joining the academy, I was an elementary teacher and taught first, second, and third grades. As a teacher educator, I draw upon my own classroom teaching experiences focusing on the complexities of teaching diverse learners and attending to social justice issues pertaining to the marginalization of children in U.S. schools.

I consider myself a scholar-activist and am committed to social justice issues pertaining to the historical and contemporary oppression, miseducation, and liberation of children of Color in U.S. schools. My teaching, scholarship and service is a means of activism. I explicitly apply my knowledge and understanding of my field to interrupt institutional inequity and promote social justice in education.

My scholarly agenda coheres around equity methodologies aimed at improving schooling outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse students through teacher development and learning from the teacher identities and praxis of Black women educators and faculty. I design research projects and situate my research, teaching, and service within spaces that acknowledge the perspectives and voices of historically oppressed and marginalized populations.

My most recent research projects the development of culturally relevant/sustaining practices with preservice and practicing teachers of Color and the teacher identities and praxis of Black mother educators. 

Communities
Education, Education
Degrees
PhD, Michigan State University, Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy, 2006
MEd, Indiana Wesleyan University, Curriculum and Instruction, 1998
BS, Miami University, Elementary Education K-8, 1996
Keywords
cultural diversity social justice urban education teacher education pedagogy