Welcome from the Dean

I am thrilled to be part of the Monmouth community and excited about my role as Dean of the School of Education. My career in education began over thirty years ago. I earned my doctorate in social foundations of education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master’s in elementary education from Eastern Michigan University, and a bachelor’s in economics from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Born and raised in Michigan, I have lived in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. I recently moved to New Jersey with my two dogs and my two college-aged children.

When the opportunity to become a member of the Monmouth University community was presented, I jumped at the chance. The mission and strategic goals of Monmouth are consistent with my personal philosophy, values and goals. I have taught at the elementary and college levels, teaching undergraduate through doctoral-level courses. Throughout my 30-plus years as an educator, I have practiced critical pedagogy and worked to challenge inequities both in the public schools and in broader society. My beliefs about the purpose of education, the role of schools and teachers, and best teaching practices have evolved throughout my career in education but have always been grounded in my belief in the dignity of every living being. This belief is what calls me to advocate for a more just, accessible, and equitable educational system for all students. I believe that education is a vehicle through which learners can become who they were created to be and is essential to individual happiness and to democratic community. I believe in education that shows us the creative power of hope and teaches us the peace that comes from justice. Through such education, students become engaged citizens, actively participating in society as we work together for social justice.

Education

Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

M.A., Eastern Michigan University

B.A., University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Research Interests

Areas of research include: courageous conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion in classroom, schools, and society; conversations about race in online learning environments; the sociology of education; culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy in teacher preparation programs; and social justice advocacy in educational settings.

Select Publications

A dean and faculty “doing the work” of CR-SE: How we built the wall and a plan to deconstruct it. In Cole-Malott, D. & Curci, J. (Eds.) (In Press).

Invited Author. (2024). Book Review: Geneva Gay’s, Educating for Equity and Excellence. Teachers College Record.

Courageous conversations about race in online classes. In Ozaki, C. C. & Parson, L. Eds. (2022). Teaching & Learning for Social Justice in Higher Education: Methods and Curriculum Across Content Areas, Vol. II. Palgrave.

Social Justice Advocacy in Graduate Teacher Education. (2018) Journal of Education and Learning, 7(2), 12-20.

Francis, D., Colbry, S., Hoyle, A., Ratmansky, L., Sheety, A., & Szpara, M. (September 2017). Opting into a Faculty Scholarship Community: Benefiting Productivity and Personal Well-being. The Journal of Faculty Development, 3(31), 1-10.

Faculty development: Fostering teacher education faculty professional growth. (2016) Journal of Modern Education Review, 6(3), 147-160.

Select Presentations

Collaborative faculty development with part-time faculty in teacher education. (2015). Pennsylvania Teacher Educator, 14, 11-21. 

Racism & Inclusivity: Enhancing Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy in Teacher Education.” Paper presented at the Pennsylvania chapter of the National Association of Multicultural Education (PA-NAME) conference, Radnor, PA.

Hoyle, A., Szpara, M., Sheety, A., Francis, D. & Ratmansky, L. (June 2019) “How a faculty scholarship community can contribute to your scholarly productivity and personal well-being,” paper presented at the 32nd Annual Textbook & Academic Authoring Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

“Courageous Conversations about Race in an Online Educational Foundations Course.” Paper presented at the 2018 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Studies Association, November 2018, Spartanburg, SC.

“Courageous Conversations About Race and Racial Justice.” Paper presented at the 2017 American Educational Studies Association Annual Conference, October 2017, Pittsburgh, PA.

“Courageous Conversations About Race: Faculty Development to Promote Racial Justice.”  Paper presented at the 2017 PAC-TE Teacher Education Assembly, October 2017, Harrisburg, PA.

“Social Justice Advocacy in Graduate Teacher Education.” Paper presented at the 10^th Annual Equity and Social Justice Conference at the Virginia Commonwealth University, March 2017, Richmond, Virginia.

“Love, labor and learning: Social justice advocacy in graduate teacher education.” Paper presented at the American Educational Studies Association 2016 Annual Conference, November 2016, Seattle, WA.

Frequently Taught Courses

• Policy and Social Justice for Educational Leaders
• Leadership Theory and Practice
• Dissertation Seminar
• Advocacy and Social Justice for Educators
• Sociocultural Foundations of Education
• Philosophy of Education