Teaching Statement

I frame learning as an ideological and political act. Students begin by investigating how their own identities, beliefs, and experiences have shaped their educational socialization. In weekly Article Reflections, they critique scholarly texts using guided questions that foreground power, positionality, and cultural assumptions in learning theory.

As we move through the course, students analyze foundational and liberatory theorists, like Carter G. Woodson, Beverly Tatum, and Amos Wilson, through a Theorist Research Presentation, which requires them to connect theory to contemporary classroom practice. These presentations explicitly center race, resistance, and the reproduction of educational inequities.

Students also complete four Field Observations in real classrooms and write analytical reflections linking teacher actions to larger systems of power. This process supports their ability to recognize how schooling reinforces or challenges systemic oppression.

Together, these activities underscore my belief that instruction is political and that future educators must be equipped to critique and reimagine the systems they inherit.

Frameworks:

• Critical Race Theory (CRT)

• DisCrit

• Theories of Cultural Relevance and Liberation Pedagogy

Assignment Examples:

• Article/Chapter Reflections

• Theorist Research Project

• Field Observations & Analysis Papers

Outcome:
Students learn to view education as a contested site of ideological reproduction—and are prepared to lead with critical consciousness and ethical clarity.

I design courses that reflect the cultural and linguistic lives of students and the communities they serve. My instructional design is informed by Universal Design for Learning (UDL), culturally responsive teaching, and trauma-informed practices, ensuring that all learners, not just those in dominant groups, can access and thrive in academic spaces.

In EDUC 2040: Introduction to the Exceptional Child, students complete a Disability Asset-Based Profile, where they examine disability through historical, cultural, and systemic lenses. They develop instructional strategies grounded in DisCrit and apply culturally sustaining frameworks to real case studies. In EDCI 5040 (graduate), students conduct a Differentiated IEP Case Project, evaluating referral pathways and reimagining education plans to prioritize equity.

These assignments, which reflect the lived realities of students in New Orleans, shift teacher candidates from a mindset of transaction to one of transformation. They learn to view disability not as a barrier, but as a site for creative, inclusive, and justice-rooted design.

Frameworks:

• Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

• DisCrit

• Culturally Responsive and Trauma-Informed Practice

Assignment Examples:

• Disability Asset-Based Profile (EDUC 2040)

• Differentiated IEP Case Project (EDCI 5040)

• Federal Policy & Identity Mapping Discussion

Outcome:
 

Students develop inclusive practices grounded in equity and justice—not just compliance—and begin to reimagine special education as a site of liberation rather than exclusion.

In EDLD 6060: Current Issues in Special Education Leadership, a doctoral-level course at Xavier University of Louisiana, I cultivate equity-centered leadership through rigorous academic inquiry and applied systemic analysis. Reflection in this context is not passive introspection—it is an act of intellectual and professional accountability.

Students begin with Weekly Article Reflections, in which they critique legal, policy, and equity-focused texts using structured questions that highlight bias, barriers, and practical application. These assignments reinforce habits of ethical reasoning, evidence-based critique, and leadership responsibility.

A key component of the course is the Literature Review Project. Students develop an original 10–15 page literature review on a topic related to special education equity, which they refine through feedback cycles, peer review, and ultimately submit to an academic journal. This process prepares students not only for dissertation work but for scholarly contribution to the field.

In addition, the Student-Led Case Study Discussions place doctoral candidates in the role of facilitators, where they guide their peers through legal cases and leadership dilemmas, integrating outside research and professional standards.

Finally, the Critical Book Review of Stuart Buck’s Acting White challenges students to engage with racialized narratives about achievement and education. Their critique must draw from empirical evidence and theoretical frameworks, reinforcing the need for rigor, positionality, and scholarly activism.

Frameworks:

• Culturally Responsive School Leadership 

• DisCrit

• Critical Reflection in Adult and Professional Learning

• Literature Review Methods & Research Ethics
  
  

Assignment Examples:

• Weekly Legal & Policy Critique Reflections

• Literature Review with Journal Submission

• Student-Led Case Study Discussions

• Critical Book Review of Acting White
  
  

Outcome:
Doctoral students develop into critically reflective, research-informed leaders who examine structural inequities and use scholarship to drive institutional and policy transformation.

My teaching is rooted in Division of Education & Counseling's mission to develop reflective professionals and collaborative change agents toward a more just and humane society. This mission is not simply aspirational—it is embedded in the courses I teach, the communities I partner with, and the assignments I design to cultivate socially responsible educators and scholar-leaders.

In EDCI 5040 (Exceptional Child), students engage with policy, critical texts, and equity-based case analyses that highlight how race and disability intersect in special education. I include readings such as Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education? and The Afrocentric Praxis of Teaching for Freedom, which directly challenge dominant deficit narratives and ask students to consider the ethical demands of inclusive education.

In EDLD 6060 (Special Education Leadership), doctoral students connect systemic issues of disproportionality and due process with the larger social justice goals embedded in Xavier’s conceptual framework. Through the literature review project and student-led case analysis, students are asked to develop their leadership capacity not only through technical expertise, but through values-based inquiry and mission-aligned responsibility.

In EDCI 5900 (Behavioral Supports), students complete a School-to-Prison Pipeline Analysis Project, connecting their classroom behavior plans to systemic patterns of discipline and exclusion. This assignment is not just about strategy—it is about justice. It challenges educators to think about how behavior interventions can reinforce or disrupt carceral logics in schools.

In EDCI 5055 (Transition Services), graduate students design individualized transition plans that incorporate culturally responsive supports, family engagement, and ethical postsecondary planning. These plans reflect the belief that all students deserve opportunities to thrive beyond school—another expression of Xavier’s commitment to human dignity and holistic development.

 Outcome:
Students in my courses are not just prepared to meet state standards—they are invited to see their future roles as educators through the lens of service, healing, and justice. They learn that teaching at Xavier means preparing to dismantle systems of inequity and reimagine education as a vehicle for liberation.

I teach what I study—and I study what I teach.

My teaching is inseparable from my research on race, disability, equity, and systems of power in education. As a scholar-practitioner, I integrate current findings, emerging frameworks, and critical methodologies into my instructional design and classroom inquiry. At Xavier, I use this integration to create spaces where students learn how to interrogate the systems they work within—and imagine new ones.

In EDLD 6060 (Special Education Leadership), students engage with due process cases that directly relate to my research on hypersegregation and discipline disparities. I scaffold these cases with excerpts from my own literature reviews and journal submissions, so students see how equity-focused leadership is both practical and research-informed. The Literature Review assignment in this course mirrors the work I publish—students identify gaps, analyze power, and build toward transformative leadership.

In EDCI 5040 and EDCI 5900, I bring in findings from my published policy report on trauma-informed behavior supports for the state of New Mexico. Students explore how policies translate into school practices, and they create culturally responsive support plans rooted in trauma theory and community-based data justice.

I also intend on introducing excerpts from my forthcoming book chapter on AI and Special Education, using it to guide conversations about technology, ethics, and equity in IEP planning. In several courses, we analyze how algorithmic tools may reinforce ableism and racial bias—equipping students to make informed decisions as technology continues to shape education.

Whether exploring HBCU governance, AI equity, or racial disproportionality in discipline, my teaching is driven by the idea that research is not neutral. It must serve the communities we claim to uplift. My classroom is where that service takes root.

Frameworks:

• DisCrit and CRT

• Policy Analysis and Applied Legal Research

• Community-Engaged and Critical Quantitative Methods

• UDL and Algorithmic Justice
  
  

Assignment Examples:

• Literature Review Project (EDLD 6060)

• AI & IEP Ethics Discussion (EDCI 5040)

• Disproportionality Data Review tied to current publications

Outcome:
Students gain firsthand experience translating research into justice-centered practice. They don’t just read the literature, they apply it, critique it, and in many cases, extend it through their own reflective inquiry.