About
Dr. Laura-Ann Jacobs is a Postdoctoral research fellow with the National Center for Institutional Diversity Stepping uP Against Racism and Xenophobia (SPARX) Project. Laura-Ann is a Korean American adoptee. She grounds her work in the qualities of creativity, compassion, and connectedness, and her research pursues questions about how people learn about their identities, how they choose to share their stories, and how they make their mark on the world. Laura-Ann graduated in 2021 from the University of Michigan with a doctorate in Educational Studies with a specialization in Literacy, Language, and Culture. Her dissertation focused on preparing secondary English Language Arts teachers for antiracist pedagogical change for the purposes of disrupting educational inequity and creating spaces for students to explore and express themselves. Her current work centers around how people individually and collectively translate our stated commitments of justice into action for the purpose of social change.
Current Work
Laura-Ann is currently working with Drs. Deborah Rivas-Drake and Enrique Neblett at the University of Michigan on the Stepping uP Against Racism and Xenophovia (SPARX) Project. The goal of this project is to create a publicly accessible website that includes resources, strategies, tips, tools, and information to parents, caregivers, and educators to support children and youth in understanding how to recognize, respond to, and resist racism and xenophobia.
Research Area Keyword(s)
Critical Race Theory, culturally responsive pedagogy, liberatory pedagogy, literacy, Teacher education