I began my sixth year in academia at USI in August 2008. My undergraduate degree comes from Indiana University as a double major in psychology and sociology. I earned my Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Culture, Curriculum, and Change program. My main areas of expertise include multicultural education, qualitative research methods, and socio-cultural foundations of education.

My scholarship is grounded in understanding issues of equity and diversity in education. More specifically, I study issues of race, class, and gender guided by socio-cultural theoretical frameworks using qualitative methods. Three strands of research ground my work: The social construction of smartness, creating culturally responsive teachers, and urban education.

My background includes teaching in a wide range of contexts including at men’s and women’s prisons, an Historically Black College (North Carolina Central University), and TEACCH designed classrooms for children with autism. Additionally, I have been involved in designing and implementing programs to better prepare pre-service teachers for effectively teaching in urban settings and in working with Latino children and families.