Research Statement 

My research interrogates the systemic and structural inequities that Black students, particularly those placed in special education programs, within U.S. educational institutions. Using critical race theory, DisCrit, and my original white power Theoretical Framework, I explore how race, disability, and policy intersect to shape educational access, identity, and opportunity. My scholarship is rooted in a belief that schools are not neutral spaces, but sites of both violence and possibility, particularly for historically marginalized communities.

At the core of my research agenda is an ongoing effort to investigate and challenge how whiteness, carcerality, and ableism operate through educational labeling, disciplinary practices, and policy design for students with disabilities. This is most evident in my work on the overrepresentation of Black students in high-incidence disability categories and their disproportionate exposure to exclusionary discipline. I situate these disparities not as isolated outcomes, but as expressions of systemic power and racialized surveillance within education.

My research program has yielded several peer-reviewed publications. These include articles in the AAUP Journal of Academic Freedom, such as “All Education Is Political,” which examines the legislative censorship of critical race theory, and “Silencing Wingless Truth” (co-authored with Xavier doctoral candidate, Gerald Smith, II), which explores academic freedom as a battleground for racial justice. In my earlier work, including “Black Students Existing Is an Act of Defiance,” I developed the analytical foundations of my justice-centered critique of special education, linking student resistance to the psychosocial impact of racial microaggressions and disciplinary disproportionality.

Building on this foundation, my scholarship has become increasingly interdisciplinary and collaborative. In partnership with Dr. Stephanie Grant (Xavier-Psychology), I co-authored a critical quantitative study that interrogates how traditional discipline disparity calculations, particularly risk ratios, mask disproportionate disciplinary outcomes of students in hypersegregated school systems. Drawing from QuantCrit, our work proposes a new equity metric grounded in racialized data justice and has been submitted to the Journal of School Psychology.

I also co-authored an ethnographic case study with Dr. Larkin Page (Xavier-DOEC) titled An HBCU Alternative Teaching Certification Program, which is in press with Research Issues in Contemporary Education. This study examines Xavier’s Norman C. Francis Teacher Residency Program, highlighting how HBCUs play a critical role in diversifying the educator workforce and preparing alternatively certified teachers through culturally sustaining pedagogies.

These collaborations reflect my broader commitment to educational justice through cross-disciplinary inquiry and institutional engagement. They demonstrate how my research not only critiques systems but also informs the design of policies and programs that center historically marginalized communities.

Recent scholarship reflects the evolution and expansion of my research agenda. My forthcoming book chapter, Reclaiming AI Equity in Special Education: Justice in a Post-Federal Era, represents a new line of inquiry that applies UDL and DisCrit to analyze how algorithmic systems exacerbate ableist and racist patterns in special education decision-making. This work critiques the use of AI in IEP development and intervention tracking and proposes equity-centered design practices rooted in participatory ethics and community data justice.

I have also extended my scholarship into policy and institutional critique through my article Black Schools, White Interests: The Dilemma of HBCUs, Academic Freedom, and Philanthropic Capture (in-press). This piece investigates how external funding structures can erode academic freedom at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, complicating their role as safe havens for Black intellectual thought. In a separate, practice-facing context, I authored a peer-reviewed technical report for the New Mexico Public Education Department titled Behavior Guidance Manual, Volume II: Positive Behavior Supports in New Mexico Schools, which offers a comprehensive, equity-oriented framework for statewide implementation of trauma-informed and inclusive behavioral supports.

I remain committed to public scholarship and translational work that bridges academia, policy, and community impact. My recently submitted op-ed, When Fear Trumps Faith-The Real Costs of Education Cuts, critiques federal disinvestment in teacher education under the Trump administration and calls for a renewed commitment to preparing a diverse, justice-minded teaching force.

Future Research Directions:

Looking ahead, I will continue to build a research agenda that links critical theory to systemic transformation. Current and future projects include:

• Evaluating AI-powered Special education platforms for racial and linguistic bias

• Developing training modules for equity-focused special education evaluators

• Expanding my policy work to include cross-state analyses of disproportionality data and behavior frameworks

Ultimately, my research is not only about documenting harm but also about developing and advancing transformative approaches to education. Through critical inquiry, community-rooted collaboration, and justice-centered innovation, I aim to reshape special education into a site of liberation rather than containment. In doing so, I remain deeply committed to the mission of Xavier University: to promote a more just and humane society, by contributing scholarship that prepares educators, policymakers, and institutions to lead with equity, integrity, and purpose in a global world.