Dr. Brian A. Burt received the Exemplar Award from Indiana University’s Neal-Marshall Alumni Club on October 12, 2019. The Neal-Marshall Alumni Club was founded in 1980 to meet the needs of IU African-American alumni and to increase their participation in local and national IU alumni groups.

Wei LAB Research Associate DeVon Wilson has manuscript titled “Do Racial Disparities Exist in the Labor Market for Educators” published in the Journal for Economics, Race, and Policy. Co-authors on the article consisted of Donald Dantzler, Damian Evans, and Richard McGregory, Jr. The manuscript presents a study that analyzes K-12 and post-secondary teachers in relation to hypotheses surrounding racial disparities in educator labor markets.

Read the article here.

Wei LAB Research Scientist Dr. Brian A. Burt was nominated for induction into the Martin Luther King Jr. International College of Ministers and Laity at Morehouse College.

The Martin Luther King Jr. College of Ministers and Laity is the signature program sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College. In recognition of Dr. King’s role as an exemplar of adaptive faithful servant scholar moral cosmopolitan leadership, a highlight of the College of Ministers & Laity, is the induction of honorees. The nominees are selected due to the individuals’ efforts toward great achievement in their fields and a commitment to the community and society. Nominees are selected by former inductees; the office of the dean, faculty, staff, and alumni of Morehouse College; and distinguished citizens.

Read more here.

Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist, Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson, presented at the recent resident hosted by the Center for the Advancement of STEM Leadership (CASL) in Atlanta, Georgia. The overall theme was Sustaining Leadership That Advances Broadening Participation in STEM among Faculty and Students on HBCU Campus.

Dr. Jackson’s presentation was titled “Research Strategies for Documenting Leadership in STEM at HBCUs.” The presentation varied in topics including leadership, historical evolution of leadership studies, critical race theory, and  recommended strategies.

CASL is a collaborative, NSF-supported research, education and knowledge transfer/outreach entity involving North Carolina A&T State University, University of the Virgin Islands, Fielding Graduate University and the Association of American Colleges & Universities. CASL aims to document leadership styles and strategies that have been associated with the record of HBCUs in graduating African Americans in STEM at the undergraduate level and in advancing many to successful attainment of doctoral degrees in STEM.

Wei LAB Research Scientist Dr. Shawn A. Robinson edited a book titled Promoting Academic Readiness for African American Males with Dyslexia.

Promoting Academic Readiness for African American Males with Dyslexia, co-edited with Corey Thompson, addresses the underlying issues pertaining to the literacy achievement levels of African Males. The book was originally a publication in a special edition of Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties. Through studies, the authors demonstrate how classroom practices in preschool and elementary levels are failing students at risk of reading and writing difficulties. The implementation of enriching practices are vital to the social, moral, and intellectual development of these students, and subsequently, society as a whole.

Effective in 2019, Dr. Brian A. Burt is a Research Scientist in the Wei LAB. Dr. Burt is also an Assistant Professor of Higher Education in the Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis (ELPA) department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Through his research he seeks to provide new understandings of the complexity of science participation with a focus on the experiences that promote or turn students away from science pathways. He has published in leading educational journals such as the American Educational Research Journal, School Science and Mathematics, and Journal of Negro Education, to name a select few. He has won several academic honors including the National Science Foundation’s Early CAREER Award, and the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship. He was also named a 2019 Emerging Scholar by Diverse Issues in Higher Education. 

Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson presented at the Exploring Education Disparities in the State of Wisconsin: Catalyzing Opportunities for Engaged Scholarship event hosted by UW-Madison and Extension in October 2019.

Dr. Jackson’s presentation was titled, “Disrupting Educational Disparities, Segregation, and Mass Incarceration: Hidden Battle Grounds for Black Males.”

The event was part of the Campus Engagement Series, which serves as a meaningful networking opportunity to explore potential collaborations and connect with and learn from scholars, practitioners, and individuals across Wisconsin.

On October 14, 2019, Wei LAB Director and Chief Research Scientist Dr. Jerlando F. L. Jackson delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Academic Excellence Achievement Ceremony event at the Wisconsin School of Business for our Business Emerging Leaders (BEL) College Scholars.

The BEL Program is the Wisconsin School of Business’s first pre-college pipeline program for diverse, talented, and historically underrepresented students. Students that commit to attending UW-Madison receive a four-year full-tuition scholarship and are directly admitted into the Wisconsin School of Business.

The event recognized college scholars who achieved a high GPA during their first year as BEL College Scholars. Dr. Jackson’s address touched on the importance of academic excellence, identity, why recognizing success in community matters, and why having a “village” is important.

Wei LAB Research Scientist, Dr. Shawn A. Robinson, published an article in Gifted Child Today titled Critical Literacy and Its Impact on African American Boys’ Reading Identity.

With the classroom demographics of special education shifting to mirror more diversity among students, PreK-12 teachers may want to examine how critical literacy impacts African American boys’ reading identity with an emphasis on a representational intersectionality approach to learning. The article highlights the urgent importance of critical literacy and its impact on reading identity, concluding with a brief discussion that focuses on a representational intersectionality approach to learning (Warner & Brown, 2011) while applying Sweet and Snow’s (2003) model. The article culminates with a call for action for classroom practice.

View the publication here.