Doctoral Students

Bianca Licata is a doctoral candidate and instructor in the Department of Curriculum & Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation explores how teachers at no-excuse charter schools in metropolitan New Jersey experience and navigate neoliberal policies and practices that bump up against their values of justice and equity in education for Black and Brown students. 

Specifically, this project asks, How do educators at no-excuse charter schools engage anti-racist teacher agency to negotiate mechanization and the narrative of meritocracy? To answer this question, Bianca takes up what she calls critical storying, eventually crafting fictocritical stories that speculate the cyborgian tensions and experiences of each participant.

Bianca is also the Senior Graduate Representative for AERA Division K, Teaching and Teacher Education. She is currently a professional development associate at the Center for Technology and School Change working with NYC public school teachers to develop project-based learning curricula. She has also worked extensively as a research associate at the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching exploring student-teacher relationships. 

Chinyere Harris is a Doctoral Candidate in the Department of Curriculum & Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation research focuses on the experiences of diverse women of color in predominantly white independent secondary schools and public spaces. Although there is a large body of research focusing on Black girlhood in public secondary school spaces, significantly less research centers on the experiences of diverse young women of color in predominantly white independent secondary schools and public spaces. Chinyere's research addresses this gap by centering on the experiences of a diverse group of young women (students and alumnae) who are African American, African, Latina, and South Asian, and collectively identify as women of color. Her work highlights their experiences through the lens of empowerment, joy, and strength.

Chinyere's doctoral specializations are in curriculum studies and teacher education. Her expanded scholarly interests encompass curricular inquiry that focuses on 1. enabling ways to engage in a collective design of places and spaces creating material benefits for everyone, 2. exploring curriculum's potential to enable spaces of belonging and collaboration in our changing world,  3. creating and developing curriculum-based solutions to address challenges faced by individuals, groups, and organizations in various settings, 4. examining how curriculum functions as both a technology and a tool in various contexts, and 5. exploring the ways in which we conceptualize and understand what it means to 'teach', 'be taught', know, and develop understanding. 

Additionally, Chinyere collaborates on an interdisciplinary initiative between Teachers College, Columbia University, and the Heidelberg School of Education in Heidelberg, Germany, aimed at promoting critical media engagement in diverse educational contexts globally.

Dorsa Fahami is currently a doctoral student at Columbia University in Curriculum and Teaching department. Dorsa is an experienced dual language teacher, coach, and a life-long learner. Dorsa has experience as a teacher and administrator in a variety of dual language program models including one-way late-exit, 90-10 two-way dual language, and in ENL across public, private and charter schools. Her passion for language acquisition and DEI work has led her to work in Texas, Chile, Mexico, and most recently New York City. She is passionate about working with educators around language ideologies in order to facilitate dialogue around social justice and equity within their classrooms. Her goal as a researcher is to help the bilingual education world not solely focus on issues related to language acquisition but also to consider the impact of ideologies regarding race, ethnicity, and (dis)ability, and gender on pedagogical practice.

Errol C. Saunders, II is a veteran history teacher and the Executive Director of Pathfinder Hopkins School, an educational non-profit that prepares students from New Haven public and parochial schools for high school success. Errol has taught and developed innovative curricula for middle and high schoolers in both English and history with emphases on thematic content orientation, cultural relevance and responsiveness, historical problem solving, and making forceful, nuanced arguments from primary sources.

Errol holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University, an Ed.M. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University and is currently a doctoral candidate in that department. Errol is a Ron Brown Scholar and has recently served as a research fellow for the Center on History and Education at Teachers College, where he worked on the New York City Civil Rights History Project. His research interests include public pedagogies of race and how going to school across geographic boundaries affects students’ educational experiences, senses of belonging, and outcomes. 

Errol believes that wholesale engagement in civil society can strengthen communities. To that end, he has served on the boards of the Ulysses S. Grant Program, the New Haven Land Trust (now Gather New Haven), the Urban Resources Initiative,  Common Ground, and Long Wharf Theatre. Today, he serves as a commissioner on the Board of Zoning Appeals for the City of New Haven. 

Isabella Bartels is a second-year doctoral student in Curriculum and Teaching. She currently works as an ELA and ESL teacher at a bilingual newcomers’ high school for recently arrived immigrant students. Isabella received her BA from the College of William and Mary in secondary English education, and her MA from Teachers College in Curriculum and Teaching. As a researcher, Isabella is primarily interested in curriculum studies, and her work is focused on the impacts of memory, media/pop culture, and affect on curriculum and pedagogy. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys journal writing, vegetarian cooking, and exploring her hometown of NYC. 

Jacqueline M. Cofield (she/her) is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University’s Teachers College. Her multifaceted teaching philosophy, shaped through varied roles across K-12 classrooms, higher education, museums, and global programs, embraces education as a transformative journey fostering critical thinking and societal change.

Jacqueline's pedagogy embodies innovation, emphasizing multimodality, media literacies, and the arts to unify theoretical concepts with practical application in education. Her core philosophy centers on fostering critical thinking and empowerment in students, nurturing their abilities to question, analyze, and construct knowledge while addressing intricate societal challenges.

Central to her research portfolio is the exploration of diasporic African identities, aimed at revolutionizing educational institutions to authentically acknowledge and celebrate the multifaceted nature of students and teachers. Her commitment to elevating marginalized voices reverberates through a diverse range of research methodologies, spanning qualitative, quantitative, and experimental studies. Jacqueline consistently strives to contribute meaningfully to academic discourse, advocating for equity, diversity, and social justice. Her work pushes educational boundaries, challenging existing norms and amplifying a spectrum of perspectives.

Jacqueline's teaching ethos emphasizes community building and the cultivation of authentic learning experiences. Her approach fosters inclusive atmospheres that encourage metacognitive practices and student collaborative learning. As she navigates through challenging times, Jacqueline remains committed to infusing inclusivity into every facet of education. Central to her pedagogy is a profound dedication to the arts in education, celebrating the inherent richness and potential of all learners while amplifying marginalized voices to nurture genuinely inclusive learning environments. Her expertise extends to curatorial and museum training acquired from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem. Currently, she applies this knowledge as a museum educator at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Jacqueline serves as a Graduate Assistant and Doctoral Peer Mentor in the Department of Curriculum & Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. Collaborating with faculty and doctoral students, she coordinates tailored programs, including conferences, oversees the peer mentoring program for new doctoral students, and supports program leadership.

Jonthon Coulson is a doctoral candidate in the Curriculum & Teaching department at teachers College, Columbia University. He has taught in the Bronx and abroad for the past twenty years, having previously served as a Teach For America Corps Member, a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, a U.S. State Department English Language Fellow, a Funds for Teachers Fellow, and Institute of Current World Affairs Education & Identity Fellow. He currently serves as an Institute for Urban & Minority Education Doctoral Research Fellow and as the Curriculum Director of Indonesian outbound education company Odyssey Institute. His dissertation focuses on ethnopedagogies capable of sustaining and revitalizing wisdoms of the Global South and the ulturally hegemonic impact of educational provision in post-colonial societies (like America!), and has for the past five years conducted fieldwork in community with Bajau people in Southeastern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Jonthon is a Vipassana meditator, an Advanced Open Water-certified diver, and a long-time vegetarian.

Karina Malik is a doctoral candidate in the department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation focuses on the experiences of Special Education Teachers who identify as Black, Indigenous and/or People of Color (BIPOC). Karina is also transitioning into her new role as an elementary inclusion coach for the path program which focuses on the inclusion of students who have been labeled with emotional disabilities in New York City public schools. Previous to this position she was an early childhood, Special education teacher in a dual language, Integrated Co-teaching classroom in Washington Heights, NYC for nine years.

Kyle Arlington (he/him/his) is a teacher, literacy specialist, and school leader, serving as a PK-12 school district superintendent. Formerly, he has held the roles of Director of Curriculum & Instruction and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction. He is also a doctoral student in the Curriculum and Teaching Department. In his research, he thinks with posthumanism to imagine more expansive conceptions of literacy and explore how these conceptions intersect with teachers’ visions. He is also interested in children’s play, particularly the risky and uncomfortable kind that shocks and challenges normative conventions. As a graduate research assistant, he has supported several projects across Teachers College related to the many dimensions of play. He incorporates this focus in his work as an instructor of graduate courses, such as Literacy Theory & Practice and Literature for Younger Children.

Maddie Neufeld is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Curriculum & Teaching and an instructor in the Elementary Inclusive Education program. Her dissertation research explores the ways that whiteness haunts places, practices, and times of teaching. She is also engaged in research on affective and embodied aspects of teaching inclusively. Her methodological inquiries engage with the non-representational. She is particularly interested in poetry as research practice. 

Maddie worked as a special educator in NYC public schools after getting an M.A. in Secondary Inclusive Education from Teachers College. She is committed to supporting pre and in-service teachers to develop inclusive pedagogies and practices and support the learning of all students. 

Naila Shahid is a doctoral student in the Curriculum and Teaching Department at Teachers College. Before starting her doctoral studies, Naila earned an M.Ed. in Comparative and International Education at Teachers College. Naila is a licensed general and special educator for grades 1-6 in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. She is also an Ontario-certified teacher for primary grades. Naila works as a special education teacher with the Department of Education in New York City. Naila has worked as a Corresponding Editor for the International Education News at Teachers College and a Graduate Research Assistant at NCREST at Teachers College. As a Teachers for Teachers initiative member at Teachers College, Naila has served as a Remote Instructional Coach for elementary teachers in Kenya. Naila is working on her research proposal and hopes to defend it in the Fall of 2024. Naila’s research interests are Teacher Agency, Teacher Activism, and Character and Citizenship Education. Her dissertation is on Character Education Programs in public and private schools, their philosophical foundations, and how they address the marginalization of certain societal groups. Her study focuses on United States schools, examining normative social and ethical values explicitly taught in formal school settings.

Natacha Robert is an educator, activist, and artist. She is a current doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University, in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching. Her research focuses on African-centered education with interests in culturally relevant education and decolonization. As an activist and community organizer she works to help support, raise awareness for, and free political prisoners as a member of the Northeast Political Prisoner Coalition. 

Natalie Jones (Bella) is Jamaican born and raised. Currently a doctoral student at Teachers College (TC), Columbia University, and a high school Special Education teacher in NYC. Bella received her M.Sc in Special Education at Hunter College (CUNY).

Her current research interests include Dis/abled bodies in educational spaces, socio-emotional learning, art and movement-based pedagogies that liberates bodies. She also has strong interests in critical and social theories in education.

While Bella’s passion lies in liberating educational spaces, she enjoys writing children’s stories. During her time at Teachers College, she hopes to explore conceptual ways of incorporating art into her teaching practices to convey student personal narratives, and envisions fusing art into her pedagogical tools to assist dis/abled bodies.

Some fun facts about her is her interest in using raw herbal teas (ancient herbs) to soothe the mind and body. Not just in consumption but also as incense and body tinctures. She is also an avid swimmer, a breathe facilitator, and enjoys making ceramics, and dancing.

Philip Seyfried is a staff developer for Teachers College Advancing Literacy, a think tank on global literacy. He partners with many schools to facilitate continuous learning experiences and draws upon over a decade of experience as a Language Arts and Literature teacher in New Jersey. Philip is in his second year as a doctoral student in Curriculum and Teaching and is particularly passionate about leveraging Artificial Intelligence to enhance educational accessibility and equity. Through his work, Philip aims to contribute to a more inclusive and effective educational environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive.

Sarah Duer (she/her/hers) is a doctoral student and the Director of Hollingworth Preschool at Teachers College. She has held a number of leadership positions within the Center since 2014. In these capacities, she designed early childhood programs and developed curriculum with a special focus on phenomenon and place–based science as well as robotics. Sarah received her Bachelor’s of Art from Occidental College in Diplomacy and World Affairs and Urban and Environmental Policy with a minor in Education, where she was awarded the Davis Fund Award in Educational Leadership. Immediately after Occidental, Sarah returned east to begin her Master’s Degree program at Teachers College in the Elementary Inclusive Curriculum and Teaching program. Upon acceptance to TC, Sarah was awarded the Abby M. O’Neill Fellowship and received her dual certification in elementary and gifted education. Sarah taught at a citywide gifted and talented public school, led the kindergarten group at the Hollingworth Science Camp each summer, and has TA’d for graduate courses at TC. Teaching drew Sarah to school leadership, and she completed her MEd from Bank Street College in progressive leadership and completed her principal internship at a local DOE elementary school. Sarah is now a doctoral student in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at TC with a research focus at the intersections of early childhood education, sustainability, and the affective, emotional experiences of climate change.

Tara Kirton is a doctoral student and a full-time instructor in the Early Childhood programs at Teachers College, Columbia University. Tara has worked in early childhood education for more than 15 years, where she has held several roles, including preschool teacher, special education iƟnerant teacher (SEIT), and administrator. Tara has also worked as an educational consultant for early childhood programs, and she has supported early childhood and special education undergraduates and graduate students in a number of roles. A common thread throughout Tara’s work includes focusing on equity, justice, and joy. Tara’s research interests include race and equity, culturally responsive pedagogy, disability studies, and centering the voices and experiences of Black children and their families in early childhood education. Tara enjoys listening to music, running, strength training, and Zumba in her free time.

Xiaoyi Wei is an international student and educator from China, and this is her sixth year at TC. In her scholarship, she explores the interplay between languages and racial/ethnic identities and centers the voices of historically marginalized communities, specifically Asian and Chinese diaspora communities. Her research firmly rests within an interdisciplinary and critical research paradigm, strongly emphasizing translanguaging and multimodality.

Xiaoyi currently serves as the research assistant for the vice dean for teacher education at TC, conducting research projects, applying for external funding, planning meetings, and preparing documents/materials to design teacher education programs.