B1G education deans unite against racism

associate professor at the American University in Cairo and a senior lecturer at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. Cossa holds a Ph.D. in cultural and educational policy studies with a depth area in comparative and international education from Loyola University Chicago.

Danielle Lawson

Danielle Lawson comes to Penn State with a joint appointment as an assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Management (tenure home) and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the science education emphasis area.

Lawson’s research expertise focuses on how environmental and science education based intergenerational learning can Danielle Lawson elevate the voices of youth to bring members of multiple generations together to work toward solutions on complex environmental issues. Her interests include working with stakeholders, teachers and community members to find new ways to communicate scientific research.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and biological oceanography and a master’s degree in environmental studies with a focus in environmental education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and a Ph.D. in parks, recreation and tourism management from North Carolina State University, where she also served as a postdoctoral scholar.

Tiffany Nyachae

Tiffany M. Nyachae is assistant professor of education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She also is a fellow in the STAR (Scholars of Color Transitioning into Academic Research Institutions) Mentoring Program through the Literacy Research Association (LRA).

Nyachae earned her Ph.D. in literacy education: curriculum, Tiffany Nyachae instruction, and the sciences of learning at the University at Buffalo (SUNY). At the heart of her research agenda is, has been, and will be improving the educational experiences of students of color. Overall, Nyachae is a community-engaged scholar whose research is situated at the intersections of race, literacy, curriculum and justice, while contributing directly to community resources in the form of literacy workshops for young people and professional development for teachers.

Image captured from video

To view the video featuring all 14 Big Ten education deans, click here.

This summer, the deans of Big Ten Colleges of Education came together in solidarity to work toward ending the systemic racism that plagues our nation Together, they created a video, talking about the changes that are needed, and how to make those changes happen.

The consensus among the deans is that one of the ways our colleges can effect change in our nation is to diversify the teaching force by increasing the diversity of our student populations.

“We can work on curriculum, so that K-12 students as well as higher education students understand what we mean by systemic racism and have a good and solid knowledge of the history of race relations in the country, and what we need to do going forward,” said James Anderson, dean of the College of Education at the University of Illinois.

“We also have to take responsibility for the fact that our very own profession is complicit in the stronghold systemic racism has on society. And it is up to us to break down the structures within our school systems and develop new ways of teaching and learning that privilege all of the assets that our students bring into the classroom, and end policies and practices that negatively impact students of color disproportionately,” said Kimberly A. Lawless, dean of the College of Education at Penn State.

“This is the time that we must make a difference in our college for the next generation, and in our community,” said Don Pope-Davis, dean of the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State.

“We stand strongly in alignment with our Big Ten peers to fight racial injustice through our outreach activities, our research and our teaching,” said Stacy Morrone, dean of the School of Education at Indiana University.