Davena Jackson
Faculty Lead, Affiliates Program
Dr. Davena Jackson is an assistant professor of urban education in the Department of Teaching and Learning, where she focuses on English education, language, and literacy. A 20+ year veteran English educator, her research-practice partnerships and work have sought to disrupt anti-Blackness, anti-Black racism, and white supremacy in secondary English education, classrooms, and beyond. Further, her research centers on teachers’ justice-oriented commitments, and curricular and pedagogical choices that lead to the transformation and liberation of English classrooms. Finally, her scholarly interests include Black Language education, critical literacies, intersectionality, antiracist teaching and policies, justice, and equity.
Jackson is the recipient of many awards and fellowships, including the 2017 Michigan State University’s Excellence-In-Teaching Citation for her work as a graduate assistant, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Cultivating New Voices among Scholars of Color fellowship. Jackson’s research has been published in the Research in the Teaching of English (forthcoming, August 2022), Conference on College Composition & Communication, Journal of Literacy Research, Teachers College Record, etc.
She received her PhD from Michigan State University in Curriculum, Instruction & Teacher Education. Also, she holds a graduate certificate in urban education.