Leading Equity

About Martreece Watson, Ph.D.

Dr. Martreece Watson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Gallaudet University. She holds a Ph.D. in Education from The Ohio State University. 


Her doctoral research focused on the language and literacy practices of culturally, linguistically diverse Black d/Deaf high school students on track to graduate with their high school diploma. 

She teaches courses in English language studies and interdisciplinary courses including, "Black d/Deaf Studies: Comparing Multicultural Perspectives."

In 2018, Dr. Watson implemented the Academic Learning Lab for Student Training, Achievement, and Readiness (ALLSTAR) to support the academic, social and mentoring needs of students of color.

Show Highlights

• Martreece’s introduction into the deaf and hard of hearing community
• Audism
• Things we need to consider when supporting our deaf and hard of hearing youth
• Deaf Gain
• Developing an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere
• Accommodations for students playing sports
• Addressing some myths of deaf and hard of hearing students
• Supporting the academic literacy skills of deaf and hard of hearing students

Connect with Martreece

Twitter: @MartreeceW

[email protected]

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

FREE Resource: 10 Steps to Get You on the Right Path Towards Leading Equity

About Jennie Magiera, Ed.D.

Jennie Magiera is the author of Courageous Edventures, and the founder and president of the non-profit Our Voice Alliance, whose mission is to elevate marginalized voices and perspectives to improve equity and empathy in education, and the founder of the non-profit Student Voice Foundation, whose mission is to create access for all students to amplify their voices and agency. Previously, she was the Chief Innovation Officer for CCSD62, the Digital Learning Coordinator for the Academy for Urban School Leadership and a Chicago Public Schools teacher. A White House Champion for Change, Apple Distinguished Educator, Google Certified Innovator and TEDx Speaker, Jennie works to improve education globally. Jennie is also passionate about transforming professional learning, having served on the Technical Working Group for the US Department of Education’s National Educational Technology Plan, co-founding PLAYDATE and other conferences. You can follow Jennie on Twitter at @MsMagiera and learn more about her work and her book at bit.ly/edventuresbook.

Show Highlights

• The smell of Obama
• Our Voice Alliance/Academy
• The OVA Fellowship
• How to become a Fellow

Connect with Jennie

Our Voice Alliance

Twitter: @MsMagiera

Additional Resources

Courageous Edventures

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

FREE Resource: 10 Steps to Get You on the Right Path Towards Leading Equity

About Victorene King, Ed.D.

Victorene is a graduate of University of Nevada Reno with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She earned her first M.A. in Educational Leadership from Northern Illinois University. She also earned a second M.A. for an Educational Specialist Superintendent certification through Western Illinois University, and then her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Western Illinois University. 

She brings a uniquely diverse perspective to education in that she has taught and led students and staff at the elementary, middle, high school, and central office levels in communities that represent every major part of the socio-economic spectrum.  

At the same time, Victorene grew up experiencing regular cycles of poverty as a “pastor’s kid” in a conservative Christian household. She uses and reflects upon those life-shaping experiences as she examines Individual and Fatalistic Ideologies and their harmful impact on the perceptions about the causes of poverty and the structural ignorance that is persistent in White Dominant cultures to further marginalize and oppress. Many of these findings are presented in her dissertation. They will also be discussed in future articles she is writing as she continues her research and work with districts as well. 

Show Highlights

• Defining poverty and its effects on school age children
• The impact of poverty and socialization
• Poverty and health/wellness
• Outside influences on poverty
• A study on teacher’s perceptions of students who live in poverty
• The research findings
• Further discussions on supporting students who live in poverty

Connect with Victorene

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @vicking02

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

FREE Resource: 10 Steps to Get You on the Right Path Towards Leading Equity

Show Highlights

• Rosa Pérez-Isiah
• Torie Weiston-Serdan
• Michael Domínguez
• Kari Kokka
• Erica Buchanan-Rivera
• Victor Small, Jr.
• Francesca López

Register for free for the Leading Equity Virtual Summit 2020

Grab the All-Access Pass

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

About LaWanda Wesley, Ed.D.

Dr. LaWanda Wesley serves as Oakland Unified School District's Director of Quality Enhancement and Professional Development of Early Education. She supports a cadre of 200 plus teachers and a dynamic early learning leadership team.  Additionally, Wesley is the Co-Director and Co-designer a national leadership fellowship piloted in Alameda County, California, titled Emerging Leaders for Racial Equity in Early Care and Education. Most recently, Dr. Wesley Co-Founded and is Co-Director for the Center for Equity in Early Childhood Education, a new national early childhood organization focused on disrupting inequity in early childhood spaces and places.

Show Highlights

• The Center for Equity and Early Childhood Education
• The importance of having more conversations about early childhood and equity
• Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators

Connect with LaWanda

Email: [email protected]

[email protected]

Additional Resources

Culturally Responsive Self-Care Practices for Early Childhood Educators

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

The Leading Equity Virtual Summit 2020 (January 2-7, 2020)

FREE Resource: 10 Steps to Get You on the Right Path Towards Leading Equity

Register Today for the January Cohort of the Teaching Through a Culturally Diverse Lens Program

About Josué Falaise

Dr. Josué Falaise began his 20 year career as an elementary school science teacher. Then he became a middle and high school biology and environmental science teacher. After four years of teaching and time as an adjunct professor, he spent the last 16 years as an administrator in the roles of principal and Chief Academic Officer/Assistant Superintendent in urban and suburban school districts. Dr. Falaise is the CEO of Gomo Educational Services, LLC and Director of the Rutgers Institute of Improving Student Achievement (RIISA) at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education (RGSE).

Show Highlights

• Josué Falaise
• Growing up with a name that is often mispronounced
• Haitian stereotypes and discrimination
• The impact of names on our students and how they experience school

Connect with Josué

[email protected]

Twitter: @josuefalaise

IG: @josuefalaise

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

The Leading Equity Virtual Summit 2020 (January 2-7, 2020)

FREE Resource: 10 Steps to Get You on the Right Path Towards Leading Equity

Register Today for the January Cohort of the Teaching Through a Culturally Diverse Lens Program

The Leading Equity Virtual Summit 2020 (January 2-7, 2020)

Show Highlights

• Raising a Black boy in today’s society
• The Power of Names

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

Register for the January cohort of the Teaching Through a Culturally Diverse Lens Program Today!

FREE Resource: 10 Steps to Get You on the Right Path Towards Leading Equity

About Chanel Johnson

Chanel Johnson is a STEM Program Specialist with Fulton County Schools. Additionally, she serves as one of the leaders on the Fulton County Schools' Vanguard Team. She leads at least 18 schools in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. More importantly, she shows them how they can integrate technology with effective instructional strategies and often leads to professional development around understanding content, and pedagogy. Furthermore, Chanel works as a district coach to help teachers and schools to see how they can use technology in more transformative ways and how to "Teach to Reach".  She is an ASCD 2019 Emerging Leader, OVA (Our Voice Academy) Cohort 4, Ambassador for many programs such as Flipgrid, Nearpod, Discovery Education, MIE, just to name a few. Chanel is a Co-Author to the Book "The Gylfriend Code": The Sorority Edition where she talks about her experiences as a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Inc and how it led her to the "Discovery Code". She has conducted several professional developments in training coaches, educators, and instructional leaders. She has presented at ISTE, NSTA, Multiple Twitter Chats and at the Georgia Educational Technology Conference.   

Show Highlights

• Who is Chanel Johnson
• Culturally Responsive Teaching in Science
• Learning from experiences as a student
• Using technology to find resources for the classroom
• Flipgrid in the classroom

Connect with Chanel

Twitter: @DC_STEMtastic

IG: @DC_STEMtastic

[email protected]

Additional Resources

The Gyrlfriend Code: Volume 1

Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Becoming A Culturally relevant Science educator

CRT ( culturally responsive teaching strategies) Why Focus on Cultural Competence

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

For more episodes and professional development visit: www.leadingequitycenter.com

FREE Resource: 10 Steps to Get You on the Right Path Towards Leading Equity

About Penelope Wong, Ed.D.

Dr. Penelope Wong is an Associate Professor in the Education Studies Department at Berea College in Kentucky.  A former high school English teacher, she feels incredibly fortunate to have taught in a variety of places, such as the Navajo Nation and in the United Arab Emirates.  She received her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Northern Arizona University and has a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.  Her research interests include mindfulness practices in education, experiential learning, multicultural/ inclusive education, service-learning and English education.  Her hobbies include traveling, yoga, horseback riding and hiking.

Show Highlights

• Advocacy in education
• Compassion Fatigue
• Teacher advocacy for self-care
• Labeling thoughts and labeling feelings

Connect with Penelope

[email protected]

Additional Resources

Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE)

Association for Mindfulness in Education

Mindful Schools

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins

For more episodes and professional development visit: www.leadingequitycenter.com

About Mechele Newell, Ed.D.

Mechele Newell is an elementary school teacher in the Bay Area, California.  She has dedicated the last 20 years of her life to serving in the US Air Force (USAF), both as an active duty member and a civilian employee, in the clinical lab setting.  Mechele's experiences as an educator to clinical lab science students in the USAF led her to pursue a MAEd in Adult Ed & Training.  Her work within the local community with youth through coaching sports, supporting youth in foster care, and leading small community youth groups, prompted her to earn a doctorate in Educational Leadership/K-12 Administration through Drexel University.  Mechele is excited to serve in her community at a new charter school where the equitable education of ALL children is the main focus.  

Show Highlights

• Being new to elementary teaching
• Mechele’s experience with the Teaching Through a Culturally Diverse Lens Program
• Striving for equity as a third-grade teacher
• Celebrating small wins

Connect with Mechele

Twitter: @mechelenewell

Additional Resources

Success within an Unlikely Candidate: A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Academically Successful Youth Who Have Aged out of Foster Care

Connect with me on Twitter @sheldoneakins