Abiola Farinde
Biography
Abiola Farinde-Wu is an associate professor of urban education and the graduate program director of the Urban Education, Leadership, and Policy Studies program in the Department of Leadership in Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston. In this position she teaches doctoral students pursuing degrees in urban education. In her previous position, she was a visiting assistant professor in the Center for Urban Education at the University of Pittsburgh.
Area of Expertise
- Black Women Teachers
- Urban Education
- Qualitative Inquiry
- Teacher Diversity
- Policy and Practice
Degrees
Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC
M.A. in Administration, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX
B.A. in English, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Additional Information
Her scholarship explores the experiences of teachers and students of color. She is interested in policy and practice research questions lying at the nexus of the school experiences of students of color and their educational and life outcomes. Highlighting how racial, social, and cultural issues impact equitable educational opportunities and treatment of marginalized groups, she draws from critical theories, such as Black feminism and intersectionality to interrogate education policies, pedagogies, structures, and practices in urban schools, communities, and contexts. To this end, she engages in three social-justice lines of inquiry: (1) the educational experiences and outcomes of students of color, (2) diversifying the U.S. teacher workforce, with emphasis on Black women educators, (3) and the preparation of preservice and in-service educators for diverse populations. She has authored and co-authored numerous studies published in journals, such as Urban Education, Theory into Practice, and Teachers College Record. Additionally, she is the coeditor of Black Female Teachers: Diversifying the United States’ Teacher Workforce (Emerald, 2017), and Mentoring While White: Culturally Responsive Practices for Sustaining the Lives of Black College Students (Lexington Books, 2022).
Dr. Farinde-Wu is a recipient of the Early Career Award from AERA (Division-K). Her professional activities include serving as an editorial board member of the American Educational Research Journal (AERJ) and Educational Researcher.