Congratulations!
2020 Cohort
Rachel Seasholtz, Ed.D.
Dissertation: Mathematical Voices from the South: Book Clubs as a Conduit for Intersectional Inquiry and Praxis within a High School Mathematics Teacher Critical Friends Group
Chair: Dr. David Stinson
2018 Cohort
Phani Duggirala, Ed.D.
B.S., 1990, Andhra University, India
M.S., 1993, Osmania University, India
M.A.T., 2011, Mercer University
Dissertation: Examining the Effect of the Think-Aloud Instructional Strategy on ELL Student Performance in
Middle School Mathematics Classrooms
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
Esther Jin Kim, Ed.D.
B.A., 2014, Georgia State University
M.A.T., 2015, Georgia State University
Dissertation:
High School Students’ Reading Experiences with Graphic Novels, Comics and Manga
Chair:
Dr. Michelle Zoss
Pam Liu, Ed.D.
B.A., 2011, Duke University
M.Ed., 2016, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Dissertation: Is Race a Criteria?: A Case Study on Algebra I Teachers’ Conceptualizations of Equity In Track Recommendations
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
Ogundele, Jillian, Ed.D.
Dissertation: Together We Can: A Collaborative Community as a
Means to Improve Instructional Practices of Secondary Mathematic Teachers
Chair: Dr. Pier Junor Clarke
Lawrence Duane Robinson, Ed.D.
B.M., 1996, DePaul University
M.S., 2000, National-Louis University
M.Ed., 2005, Saint Xavier University
Dissertation: The Impact of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy on the Continued Participation of African American
Male Chorus Students in a Chorus Classroom
Chair: Dr. Chantee Earl
Amy Noel Sery, Ed.D.
B.F.A., 2005, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2010, Lesley University
Dissertation: Navigating Chaos and Taking Risks: An Art Teacher’s Experience Through A/r/tography …and a Pandemic
Chair: Dr. Melanie Davenport
2017 Cohort
Cletis Geraldine Kenya Allen, Ed.D.
B.A., 2011, Emory University
M.Ed., 2013, Georgia State University
Ed.S., 2015, Mercer University
Dissertation: A Document Analysis of the Presence and Relationships Between Schwab’s Four Commonplaces in a
Literacy Curriculum That’s Adopted in High-Needs Schools
Chair: Dr. Diane Truscott
Jamie Daniels-Favors, Ed.D.
Dissertation: Teacher Insights and Facilitation of Equitable Learning Environments for Diverse and English Language Learners in Science Classrooms
Chair: Dr. Patrick Enderle
Danielle Corrine Dickey, Ed.D.
B.S., 2010, Georgia State University
M.S., 2013, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Teacher Mentor and Mentee Stories: Mentorship as Opportunity for Teachers’ Professional Capital
and Cultural Proficiency Development
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Rebecca Lane Eswine, Ed.D.
B.S., 2012, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2013, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Stories from the Bridge: Special Education Teachers’ Experiences with Inclusion and High-Quality
Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities
Chair: Dr. DaShaunda Patterson
James Kennedy Mead, Ed.D.
B.S., 2015, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2016, Mercer University
Dissertation: Teachers’ Experiences Incorporating Students’ Funds of Knowledge into Scripted Curricula
Chair: Dr. Cathy Amanti
Nova Mead, Ed.D.
B.F.A., 2013, Georgia State University
M.A.Ed., 2016, Georgia State University
Dissertation: An Examination of Peer Influences on Identity in the Art Classroom
Chair: Dr. Kevin Hsieh
LaToya Byrd Morgan, Ed.D.
B.S.E., 2011, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2014, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Teacher’s Narratives: Navigating Culturally Responsive Teaching in Upper Elementary Mathematics
Classrooms
Chair: Dr. Shonda Lemons-Smith
Jimmy Owens, Ed.D.
Dissertation: Influences on Academically Successful Black Students’ Participation in School Music
Chair: Dr. Patrick Freer
Corey Williams, Ed.D.
B.S., 2007, Georgia State University
M.A.T., 2011, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Effect of the College Board AP Registration Process on African American Students’
Participation Rates on AP Exams
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
2016 Cohort
Darline Douangvilay, Ed.D.
B.S., 2010, Union University
M.Ed., 2015, Trevecca Nazarene University
Dissertation: “Kids Can Change the World”: An Action Research of Latinx English Language Learner Students’ Experiences in Culturally Relevant Morning Meetings
Chair: Dr. Sue Kasun
Adrian Denise Dunmeyer, Ed.D.
B.A., 2010, Savannah State University
M.A.T., 2014, Clayton State University
Dissertation: Sista-to-Sista: Black Women Teachers (Re)Examining Their Experiences with Stereotypes and Oppression in Secondary Schools
Chair: Dr. Gholnecsar Muhammad
Anne Green, Ed.D.
Dissertation: Let’s Talk About Math: Exploring How Elementary Teachers Plan and Implement Mathematical Discourse in the Classroom
Chair: Dr. Susan Auslander
Sonia Michelle Howard, Ed.D.
B.S., 2010, Georgia Institute of Technology
M.A.T., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: “I Can Overcome That:” Counterstories of Black Secondary Science Teachers’ Positional Identities
Chair: Dr. Natalie King
Hafeez Mohamedali Merchant, Ed.D.
M.A., 2012, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London
M.T., 2012, Institute of Education, London
Dissertation: Becoming Mentors: Mentor Praxis and Self-Directed Development
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Kamaria Rehema Shauri-Webb, Ed.D.
B.A., 2004, University of Pennsylvania
M.A.T., 2006, Emory University
Dissertation: Your Tracks are Showing: Understanding the Experiences of Black Girls in a Middle School with Racialized Tracking
Chair: Dr. Michelle Zoss
Alyse Haliburton Showers, Ed.D.
B.S., 2011, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Cognitive Dissonance and Special Education Teachers: Examining Instructional Decisions in a
High-States Testing Era
Chair: Dr. Diane Truscott
2015 Cohort
Margaret W. Dantzler, Ed.D.
B.A., 2012, University of Florida
MAT, 2014, Georgia State University
Dissertation: How it Lives in Me is the Work: A Mother and Daughter’s Critical Collaborative Autoethnography Navigating and Deconstructing White Fragility
Chair: Dr. Teresa Fisher-Ari
Jennifer Kathleen Henderson, Ed.D.
B.S., 1992, Florida State University
M.S., 1997, Regis University
Ed.S., 2010, Lincoln Memorial University
Dissertation: Shifting Professional Dialogue: Engaging Algebra I Teachers in Research-Based Professional
Development
Chair: Dr. Pier Junor Clarke
Julie McFaddin, Ed.D.
B.A., 1998, Clemson University
M.A., 2007, Kennesaw State University
Dissertation: Cognitive Dissonance and Teachers: When Beliefs and Mandates Collide
Chair: Dr. Lynn Hart
Hannah H. Oldham, Ed.D.
B.S.Ed., 2007, University of Georgia
B.A., 2007, University of Georgia
M.Ed., 2015, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Mathematics Self-Efficacy in High School Students and the Effects of Interim Goal Setting: How Goals and Efficacy are Linked in the Self-Efficacy Goal Spectrum
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke
Erica Marie Hicks Pendleton, Ed.D.
B.S., 2003, Temple University
M.S., 2012, Central Michigan University
Dissertation: Art Talk/Creative Talk Time (C.T.T.): A Framework for Using Student-Teacher Conversation as an Instructional Tool
Chair: Dr. Melanie Davenport
Mariana Stone, Ed.D.
B.S., 1998, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa
M.A., 2001, University of Florida
Ed.D., 2018, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Effects of Autonomy-Based Instruction on Motivation to Learn and Academic Performance
Chair: Dr. Gary Bingham
2014 Inaugural Cohort
Akua Appiagyei, Ed.D.
B.A., 2004, Rutgers University
M.Ed., 2009, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Manifestation of the African-Centered Educational Philosophy in the Pedagogical Practices of an Elementary Education Science Teacher
Chair: Dr. Janice Fournillier
Felicia Baiden, Ed.D.
B.S., 2007, Georgia State University
M.Ed., 2011, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Critical Conversations: A Social Justice-Driven Professional Learning Community
Chair: Dr. Laura E. Meyers
Geoffrey Francis Clement, Ed.D.
B.S., 1983, Emory University
M.Ed., 1987, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Exploring the influence of the Singapore Modeling Method on Prospective Elementary Teachers in a University Mathematics Course
Chair: Dr. Susan Swars Auslander
Sharhonda Tanishia Davies, Ed.D.
B.A., 2006, Spelman College
M.A., 2007, New York University
Ed.S., 2011, Mercer University
Dissertation: Understanding African-American In-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of African- American Students Who are Homeless
Chair: Dr. Chantee L. Earl
Nicola Ann-Marie Gayle, Ed.D.
B.S., 2006, University of the West Indies
M.Ed., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: An Examination of Pre-K Co-Teachers’ Perceptions and Self-Efficacy in their Present Co-Teaching Experiences
Chair: Dr. Diane Truscott
Frank W. Jones III, Ed.D.
B.B.A., 1986, University of Mississippi
M.A., 1999, University of Colorado at Denver
M.Ed., 2007, Georgia State University
Ed.S., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Perceptual Lesson Planning in Middle School Social Studies: An Application of Deweyian Aesthetics
Chair: Dr. Joseph Feinberg
Andrea Kiel, Ed.D.
B.S., 1990, Florida A&M University
M.Ed., 2001, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Handling the Past: Using a Specialized Curriculum to Facilitate Narration of Racial Identities
Chair: Dr. Rhina Fernandes Williams
Kimberley Samantha Latchman, Ed.D.
B.A., 2004, Spelman College
M.Ed., 2009, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Investigating Teachers’ Perspectives of How English Language Learners are Supported Through Communication: An Exploratory Case Study in the Mathematics Classroom
Chair: Dr. Iman Chahine
Lewis Aaron Mullins, Ed.D.
B.A., 1995, Brigham Young University
M.A.T., 2002, Grand Canyon University
Dissertation: Personalized Texts and Second Language Reading: A Study in Self-Efficacy
Chair: Dr. Sue Kasun
Siri Marie Olson, Ed.D.
B.A., 1984, St. Olaf College
M.A.T., 1987, Boston College
Dissertation: Special Education Teacher Retention in Small Schools
Chair: Dr. DaShaunda Patterson
Natasha Nicola Ramsay-Jordan, Ed.D.
B.S., 2003, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
M.A.T., 2009, Kennesaw State University
Dissertation: Examining the Integration and Use of Culturally Responsive Mathematics Pedagogy in Preservice Teachers Reflections and Practice: Implications for Black Children
Chair: Dr. Pier Junor Clarke
Andrew Bryant Spires, Ed.D.
B.S., 2000, University of Georgia
M.Ed., 2003, Georgia College and State University
Ed.S., 2006, University of Georgia
Dissertation: Who’s in Your Classroom? A Narrative Inquiry of High School Students’ Experiences with Caring Instruction and Mathematical Struggles
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Justin Juan Spurley, Ed.D.
B.A., 2010, Middlebury College
M.A.T., 2012, Georgia State University
Ed.S., 2014, University of West Georgia
Dissertation: A Phenomenographic Analysis of Urban Secondary Science Teachers’ Understandings of Nature of Science and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Chair: Dr. Renee Schwartz
Lisa Elaine Stone, Ed.D.
B.A., 1989, Clemson University
M.Ed., 2001, Piedmont College
Dissertation: Open Eyes, Open Minds: A Collaborative Inquiry into the Use of Electronic Books in the Elementary Reading Classroom
Chair: Dr. Teri Holbrook
Todd Williams Wass, Ed.D.
B.A., 2003, The University of the South
M.Ed., 2012, Georgia State University
Dissertation: Students’ Experiences of Design Thinking and Distributed Scaffolding in a Middle School Social Studies Classroom
Chair: Dr. Caroline C. Sullivan
Demetria Rene Wilson, Ed.D.
B.A., 1992, Georgia State University
M.A.T., 2011, Georgia State University
Dissertation: The Effect of Adaptive Learning Software in Mathematics on the Achievement of Sixth-Grade Black Males at a Title I School
Chair: Dr. Pier A. Junor Clarke