Biography
I have been a professional educator for over 19 years. I am a former elementary teacher, professional development specialist and education research assistant. I consider myself to be 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. I study these issues within the field of teacher education where my research and teaching focus on teacher learning and development across the professional continuum specifically centered on preparing teachers for diversity, preparing teachers to teach for social justice, and culturally responsive teaching and pedagogy.
My most recent research projects focus on the preparation and support of program interns as teacher-activists within the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools, the development of culturally responsive practice for teachers of Color, and developing urban schools as clinical sites for teacher learning.
Education:
B.S. Elementary Education K-8. Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. (1996)
M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction. Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana. (1998)
Ph.D. Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy. Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. (2006)
Courses:
EDUC H440: Education and American Culture
EDUC M320: Diversity and Learning
Expert:
- Teacher learning and development across the professional continuum (preservice, induction, and continued professional development) specifically focused on preparing teachers for diversity; teaching for social justice; culturally responsive pedagogy; urban education; the experiences of Black women faculty.
Publications:
Jackson, T.O. (2015). Perspectives and insights of preservice teachers of color on developing culturally responsive pedagogy at predominantly white institutions. Action in Teacher Education, 37(3), 223-237.
Jackson, T.O., & Howard, T.C. (2014). The continuing legacy of Freedom Schools as sites of possibility for equity and social justice for Black students. Western Journal of Black Studies, 38(3), 155-162.
Jackson, T.O., Bryan, M.L., & Larkin, M.L. (2014). An analysis of a White preservice teacher’s reflections about race and young children within an urban school context. Urban Education. DOI: 10.1177/0042085914542659
Boutte, G.S., & Jackson, T.O. (2014). Advice to White allies: Insights from faculty of Color. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 17(5), 623-642.
Jackson, T.O., & Bryan, M.L. (2014). Black women professors’ evolving teacher identities: Reconciling past, present, and future. In S. Hancock, A. Allen & C. Lewis (Eds.), Autoethnography as a Lighthouse: Illuminating Race, Research, and the Politics of Schooling. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Jackson, T.O., & Smith, S.G. (2013). Attending to urban teacher development through a school-university partnership: The case of South Kilbourne Elementary School. In C. Wilson and S. Horsford (Eds.), Advancing Equity and Achievement in America’s Diverse Schools: Inclusive Theories, Policies, and Practices (pp. 143-158). New York: Routledge.
Jackson, T.O., Boutte, G.S., & Wilson, B. (2013). Double-Talking: The complexities surrounding Black male teachers as both problems and solutions. In C.W. Lewis and I.A. Toldson (Eds.), Black Male Teachers: Diversifying the United States’ Teacher Workforce (pp. 117-131). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Awards:
Excellence in Teaching Award - Mortar Board Society, University of South Carolina Chapter (2012)
Rising Star Award, Office of Research, University of South Carolina (2012)
College of Education Early Career Award in Research, University of South Carolina (April 2010)
Grants and Funding:
Project Manager. (PI- Dr. Thomas Maridada, Children’s Defense Fund).
CDF Freedom School Teacher Institute: Increasing Teachers’ Abilities to Engage Students in the Freedom Schools Pedagogy.
Project Period: January 2014- December 2015. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Award: $418, 578.
Professional Associations:
American Educational Research Association
Division G: Social Context of Education
Division K: Teaching and Teacher Education
SIG-Research Focus on Black Education
National Association for Multicultural Education
National Council of Teachers of English