I am a PhD candidate in the department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at The Pennsylvania State University. The questions I ask draw on my eight years of experience teaching secondary English in Philadelphia, PA, and situate me in the Language, Culture and Society emphasis area within my department. My research examines how teachers imagine their role in society and how this is reflected in their classroom practices. I am specifically interested in the interaction between policy and political contexts and the construction of teachers' work in the classroom. My dissertation research explores this in the context of the state takeover of the Houston Independent School District. My work draws on scholars across disciplines to make contributions to curriculum theory, English education, teacher education, and literacy studies.

Other areas of interest include: