Terrapin EdTalks
Elevate Research. Spark Change.
TRANSFORMING EDUCATION FOR GOOD
April 9, 2025 | 5:30 p.m.
Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center
PROGRAM
WELCOME REMARKS
Kimberly Griffin, Dean and Professor
University of Maryland College of Education
TERRAPIN EDTALKS
Literacy in the 21st Century: The Next Battle for Civil Rights
The Impacts of Sustainable Collaborations on African and U.S. Higher Education through Black Liberation
Re-engaging Histories: Enriched Narratives in the Classroom
INTERMISSION
TERRAPIN EDTALKS
Untold Stories of the Divide Between Education Research and Real-World Practice
Ordinary Solidarity in Uncertain Times
PANEL DISCUSSION
University of Maryland College of Education Associate Professor Donald Bolger; Associate Clinical Professor Candace M. Moore; Adjunct Faculty Member Alana D. Murray; Senior Research Fellow Christine Neumerski; and Associate Professor Zeena Zakharia
CLOSING REMARKS
Kimberly Griffin, Dean and Professor
University of Maryland College of Education
Networking Reception to Follow
EDTALKS & SPEAKER BIOS
LITERACY IN THE 21ST CENTURY:THE NEXT BATTLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
teracy is a powerful tool for freedom and empowerment, enabling he preservation and sharing of knowledge across time and space espite advances in global literacy rates, many children and adults ill struggle, particularly those from marginalized populations, ading to significant economic and health disparities Literacy evelopment begins early with family and is nurtured in community teractions Donald Bolger explores why effective literacy education equires explicit instruction and cultural sensitivity, combining cientific understanding with creative application in the classroom, nd adapting to students' unique backgrounds Moving forward, he rgues, educators must leverage cultural knowledge to build a terate society that values diverse forms of communication and nowledge
io: Donald Bolger is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology at the University of Maryland College of Education, where he directs the Laboratory for the Neurodevelopment of Reading and Language He also co-directs the Maryland Initiative for Literacy and Equity, a joint institute with Morgan State University focused on bridging research and practice in literacy in PK-12 education and communities. For over 20 years, Bolger has studied reading and language achievement with typically developing children as well as those with learning disabilities including dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder, using behavioral and functional neuroimaging methods. His work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense. Bolger has a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh’s Learning Research and Development Center.
EDTALKS & SPEAKER BIOS
THE IMPACTS OF SUSTAINABLE COLLABORATIONS ON AFRICAN AND U.S. HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGH BLACK LIBERATION
While colonialism at its root is intended to divide and conquer, andace M Moore offers a worldview that centers Black liberation nd promotes collaboration to achieve a more equitable and rosperous society She explains why U S education scholars should ollaborate in culturally conscious ways with their colleagues in frica and use the philosophies embedded in Black liberation to ndergird sustainable partnerships Moore shares her experiences ith liberatory practices in global learning that have taken her on a rofessional and personal journey–and she reflects on reimagining obal learning every step of the way
io: Candace M Moore is an associate clinical professor and Harold W Benjamin Professor in the higher education, student affairs and ternational education policy program in the Department of ounseling, Higher Education, and Special Education at the University of Maryland College of Education Moore’s scholarship promotes inclusive campus environments, fosters international collaboration in higher education and explores culturally conscious pedagogy and practice in higher education Her international endeavors have resulted in ongoing international partnerships and study abroad efforts in West Africa. Currently, she serves as a consulting editor with the Journal of Educational Management an extension of the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) at the University of Cape Coast in Cape Coast, Ghana. She previously received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award from the U.S. Department of State to study in Ghana. Moore is also affiliated with the College of Education’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education, where she served as the inaugural director from 2017 to 2021. She earned her Ph.D. in counseling and student personnel services from the University of Georgia, Athens.
EDTALKS & SPEAKER BIOS
RE-ENGAGING HISTORIES: ENRICHED NARRATIVES IN THE CLASSROOM
n the early 20th century, Black women educators taught an xpansive U S and world history narrative to their students, ombining an appreciation of the historical triumphs of Africans ith contemporary problems African Americans were confronting oday, teaching a more complex history in a classroom continues to motivate and inspire students Alana D Murray, author of the book he Development of the Alternative Black Curriculum in Social tudies, 1890-1940: Countering the Master Narrative,” examines how corporating personal, local and uncovered histories can transform he social studies classroom
io: Alana D Murray ’98, Ph D ’12, an adjunct faculty member in the niversity of Maryland’s secondary social studies program, is an ducator-activist who has taught world history on both the middle nd high school levels, has served as principal at Shady Grove Middle School and currently serves as a director in the Office of School Support and Improvement for Montgomery County Public Schools Murray is a co-editor of the book “Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching” with Jenice L View and Deborah Menkart Her work on this book stems from both professional and personal experience. She is the granddaughter of Donald Gaines Murray, whose landmark lawsuit against the University of Maryland Law School successfully desegregated the university. She is also the author of “The Development of the Alternative Black Curriculum, 1890–1940: Countering the Master Narrative.” Murray received her Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Maryland College of Education.
EDTALKS & SPEAKER BIOS
UNTOLD STORIES OF THE DIVIDE BETWEEN EDUCATION RESEARCH AND REAL-WORLD PRACTICE
he long-standing divide between education research and real-world ractice has made it challenging for university-based researchers to ully support and positively impact K-12 schools Christine Neumerski emonstrates how research-practice partnerships (RPPs) can bridge he gap between academic research and the reality in schools By ostering collaboration between educators and researchers, RPPs nsure that research is not only relevant but actionable, driving meaningful and timely change in schools
io: Christine Neumerski is a senior research fellow at the University f Maryland College of Education’s Center for Educational Innovation nd Improvement and the associate director for the college’s Ed D in chool System Leadership program She began her career as a middle school teacher in Washington, D C , and a teacher educator in Detroit, Michigan Those experiences led to her desire to understand the systemic barriers that marginalized students face in accessing quality learning opportunities Her teaching and research emphasize how leaders can transform education systems to improve instruction for vulnerable student populations Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Maryland, Neumerski worked at Vanderbilt University and the University of Michigan, where she conducted several largescale studies of school improvement efforts. She has also worked in urban teacher and leader education and most recently has focused on deeper learning opportunities for neurodiverse children. Neumerski believes that research should be in service of making an impact on the field and utilizes research-practice partnerships as a tool for change. She earned her Ph.D. in educational administration and policy from the University of Michigan.
EDTALKS & SPEAKER BIOS
ORDINARY SOLIDARITY IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
hildren make up 40% of the world's forcibly displaced people, and heir time in protracted displacement often spans their entire chooling Zeena Zakharia explores how "ordinary solidarities"–moments of compassion and connection that arise in the midst of ruggle–emerge as a transformative force in learning spaces rawing on her research in contexts of conflict and forced isplacement, she considers what solidarity demands, restores and makes possible in–and through–education
io: Zeena Zakharia is an associate professor and the director of the ternational education policy program in the Department of ounseling, Higher Education, and Special Education at the niversity of Maryland College of Education Her research examines ducation in contexts of conflict and advances a critical approach to efugee studies in the Middle East These interests stem from over two decades of educational research, teaching and school leadership in war-affected contexts She was a Tueni Fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and a Middle Eastern Studies Postdoctoral Fellow at Columbia University Zakharia works with international, governmental and civil society organizations and schools on issues related to education and conflict. She holds an Ed.D. in international educational development (policy studies) from Columbia University Teachers College.
