Biographical Sketch: Dr. Vonzell Agosto began her teaching career as a teacher's aide in a suburban day school for students who were diagnosed as severely dis/abled. She later worked for several years in a comprehensive high school in Chicago as a special education teacher and consultant in an inclusive education program in addition to self-contained and collaborative teaching settings. Her teaching continued as a graduate teaching assistant for a Multicultural Learning Community Seminar at the University of Wisconsin - Madison where she earned her Ph.D. in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. While a graduate student Dr. Agosto trained in Theatre of the Oppressed techniques and applied them as a facilitator of anti-racist workshops for community and campus organizations and conferences. She was awarded a fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee's Institute on Race and Ethnicity during 2007-2008. She is acknowledged as an exemplary diversity scholar (2009-2010) by the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. RESEARCH AGENDA Dr. Agosto's research agenda is comprised of two overlapping strands focused through curriculum and pedagogy: anti-oppressive education and educational preparation (i.e., teachers, administrators). These strands engage critical social theories attuned to diversity and equity in the preparation of teachers and administrators for curricular/instructional leadership characterized by culturally resonant and ethically oriented practice toward equitable excellence. Her interests include inquiry and instruction that makes use of technology and arts-based approaches. She explores and defines this research agenda in consideration of the goals, processes, and stances associated with anti-oppressive and social justice education. Dr. Agosto has presented her research at major conferences including the American Education Research Association, Association for the Study of Higher Education, National Association of Multicultural Education, Association for Teacher Educators, Bergamo, University Council of Education Administrators, and the Equity and Social Justice Conference. Her publications include handbook chapters and journal articles in Race Ethnicity & Education, Teachers College Record, Journal of Negro Education, and the Journal of School Leadership.
Articles
Public Acts of Self-Deliberation: Preparation for Discursive Democracy in Education, Learning for Democracy (2013)
This conceptual essay forwards self-deliberation as an act to be included in the preparation of...
Searching for a Needle in a Haystack: Indications of Social Justice Among Aspiring Leaders (with Zorka Karanxha), Journal of School Leadership (2012)
We conducted a content analysis of 34 statements of interest submitted by applicants applying to...
Journey of Elam: Her Pedagogy as a Public Intellectual (with Zorka Karanxha and Donna Elam), Vitae Scholasticae (2011)
We explore pedagogical moments reflecting the social justice inspired servant-leadership of Dr. Elam in her...
Resistance Meets Spirituality: "I Prayed on It" (with Zorka Karanxha), Negro Educational Review (2011)
In this article we describe the lived experiences of a Black female educational leader who...
Underrepresented Women in Higher Education: An Overview (with Deirdre Cobb-Roberts), Negro Educational Review (2011)
This themed issue explicates the experiences of underrepresented women in higher education institutions and the...
Contributions to Books
Ecology policy for educational technology (with Anthony Rolle), Contemporary uses of technology in K-12 physical education: Policy, practice and advocacy (2012)
Missing and Shrinking Voices: A Critical Analysis of Florida's Textbook Adoption Policy (with Randria Williams USF), The New Politics of the Textbook: Critical Analysis in the Core Content Areas (2012)
Critical analysis of the Florida textbook adoption policy and its recent changes. A critical multicultural...
Teacher Leaders: Women (of African Descent) Enacting Social Justice (with Zorka Karanxha), Agency through teacher education: Reflection, community, and learning (2012)
This chapter is concerned with how educational leadership preparation programs promote a sense of agency...
Teacher Capacity and Social Justice in Teacher Education (with Carl A. Grant), Handbook of Research on Teacher Education: Enduring Questions and Changing Contexts (2008)
In this chapter we discuss social justice and teacher capacity, an amalgam of teachers’ knowledge,...
What are we trippin' on?: Transgressing the fault lines in research on the preparation of multicultural educators. (with Carl A. Grant), Sage Handbook for Research in Education: Engaging Ideas and Enriching Inquiry (2006)
How do we prepare multicultural educators? The purpose of the chapter is to discuss some...