Dr. Shenika Hankerson is an Assistant Professor of Language, Literacy, and Social Inquiry in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership at the University of Maryland-College Park. Her research explores racial inequity in college writing education, focusing on the effect it has on African American Language (AAL)-speaking students’ writing experiences and outcomes. Dr. Hankerson’s research has two strands: 1) examining the ways in which college writing educators develop dispositions toward AAL equity and justice, and 2) examining the ways in which anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices influence the writing opportunities, experiences, and outcomes of AAL-speaking students in college writing. More specifically, her research leverages critical qualitative research methods to combat anti-Black racism and promote greater equity, justice, progression, and success for AAL-speaking students in college writing in particular and K-12 writing more generally.
Dr. Hankerson brings a breadth of knowledge and experiences to her research, including several years of experience working as an English educator and language activist in K-18 and community programs serving predominately African American student populations. Her research has been recognized with awards from the Conference on College Composition and Communication and National Council of Teachers of English, and she has published or forthcoming work in Language Arts Journal of Michigan, AGEP Science Today Bulletin, and Talking Back: Senior Scholars Deliberate the Past, Present, and Future of Writing Studies.
Dr. Hankerson is the Principal Investigator and Director of RISE: Research Institute for Scholars in Education. RISE, funded through a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences (IES), is designed to prepare underrepresented undergraduates from the University of Maryland-College Park and Bowie State University with research and career development training in education research. The overall aim of RISE is to increase diversity in the pool of students who pursue doctoral studies in a broad range of education fields related to language and literacy
For more information on RISE, visit: http://education.umd.edu/rise
