Seven out of the 12 new faculty members starting at the University of Maryland’s College of Education this fall primarily research topics in the fields of race, equity, multiculturalism, or similar progressive subjects.
One of the recent hires for the college’s Department of Teaching, Learning, Policy, and Leadership (TLPL), Meghan Comstock, “focuses on how K-12 instructional policies and the institutional and organizational conditions in schools shape equitable educational opportunities for racially and ethnically minoritized students.”
While pursuing her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, Comstock co-authored a paper that describes how mathematics teachers bring together ambitious, traditional, and culturally responsive instructional practices.
[RELATED: JENKINS: ‘Equity’ sounds good, but it’s actually a bad thing]
Keisha Allen, another new professor in the TLPL Department, taught in Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools before receiving a doctorate degree in Curriculum and Teaching with a specialization in multicultural and urban education from Columbia.
Allen tweeted that student loan forgiveness, gun reform, and abortion rights should be taken seriously by the Democratic Party to secure Gen Z votes.
Another new hire, Joann Kang, helps teachers “integrate and implement anti-racist and anti-bias practices, as well as culturally responsive teaching, into social studies education and curriculum.”
Keiana Mayfield “focuses on how families and schools influence child and adolescent development while embedded within a society with deep roots in racially oppressive ideologies.”
Mayfield criticized people who celebrated the 4th of July by posting a picture of an advertisement of a slave auction. The caption says, “A day to reflect on our past and present context… Whose freedom are you celebrating?” She also frequently posts on her X account advocating for “diversity in KidLit” (children’s books).
[RELATED: Chicago college hires ‘Black Feminist Scholar’ to review DEI efforts]
Branden Elmore’s research “focuses on identifying pathways for equity, access, and inclusion of diverse identities.”
Sehrish Shikarpurya’s research explores the intersectionality of “race/racialization/racism and dis/ability to achieve meaningful adulthood outcomes for racially minoritized and underrepresented youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. ”
Christopher Travers “explores life-making among Black folx in higher education through liberatory masculinities, faith and spiritual connection, and love-based pedagogy and practice.”
Additional notable new hires include Katryna Andrusik, Jorinna Tran, Chunyan Yang, Amy Green, and Sara Kirschner.
Campus Reform has reported instances where ideologies popular with these new faculty members academically hinder students and promote racial division. The University of California (UC) system has lowered math standards in order to bolster DEI.
A 2018 American Psychological Association study found that the pursuit of multiculturalism could lead to minorities being favored for their race instead of their talents which could discourage them from performing well academically in college.
At the University of Virginia, a black student expressed her displeasure in 2020 with the number of white people in the school’s multicultural center. “If y’all didn’t know, this is the MSC, and, frankly, there’s just too many white people in here,” the student said.
Campus Reform contacted the University of Maryland and the named professors for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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Originally published by Campus Reform. Republished with permission.
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