Biographical Sketch: Dr. Vonzell Agosto began her teaching career as a teacher's aide in a suburban day school or students who were diagnosed as severely disabled. 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 self -contained and team taught 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 PhD in the department of curriculum and instruction. Dr. Agosto's research focuses on issues of curriculum (theory, inquiry, policy), leadership preparation, and anti-oppressive education. She has presented her research at major conferences including the American Education Research Association, National Association of Multicultural Education, Association for Teacher Educators, and the Equity and Social Justice Conference. Her publications include handbook chapters and articles in Race, Ethnicity & Education, Teachers College Record, and the Journal of Negro Education. 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 by the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. RESEARCH AGENDA Dr. Agosto's research agenda focuses on curriculum/instructional leadership preparation, praxis, and policy. She focuses this research agenda through anti-oppressive education that is informed by critical social theories and attuned to diversity and equity. Her research focuses on the preparation of teachers and administrators to participate in curriculum leadership and policy making that models and encourages equitably excellent education.
Articles
Journey of Elam: Her Pedagogy as a Public Intellectual (with Zorka Karanxha), Vitae Scholasticae (2011)
We explore pedagogical moments reflecting the social justice inspired servant-leadership of Dr. Elam in her...
Problematic Conceptualizations: Allies in Teacher Education for Social Justice, Teacher Education & Practice (2010)
This review of the literature on the concept ally and ally identity development was inspired...
Intratexturealities: The Poetics of the Freedom Schools, Journal of Negro Education (2008)
Freedom Schools, which operated during 1964 after the collaborative efforts of several Civil Rights organizations,...
Life Histories of Latino/a Teacher Candidates (with Mary L. Gomez and Terri L. Rodriguez), Teachers College Record (2008)
In this article we explore the life histories of two Latino/a prospective elementary teachers in...
Who are Latino Prospective Teachers and What do They Bring to U.S. Schools? (with Mary L. Gomez and Terri L. Rodriguez), Race, Ethnicity, and Education (2008)
In this article, the authors draw on life-history methods to investigate the family, school, university,...
Contributions to Books
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...
Other
Critical Race Studies in Education Conference 2012: Call for Proposals Jan.1 - Feb. 14 (2012)
http://www.crseassoc.org/