Dr. Dowan McNair-Lee, an Assistant Professor of Urban Education at UDC with a Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Pedagogy, integrates Black feminist curriculum theory into her teaching and research, celebrating her identities as a Black woman, while also contributing to the development of educational policy and teacher retention in urban schools.
Experience
Education
Doctor of Education in Curriculum and Pedagogy, The George Washington University Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction: Reading and Literacy, Trinity Washington University Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Summa Cum Laude, University of the District of Columbia
Roles
Assistant Professor of Urban Education, UDC
Courses Taught
EDRD 501 Teaching Reading in Elementary Schools EDRD 505 Adolescent Readers EDFN 222 Children and Youth in Urban Schools ELED 304 Methods of Teaching Language Arts RDNG 305 Children’s Literature RDNG 314 Teaching Reading in Elementary Schools
Expertise
Observation of student teachers
Research Focus / Works in Progress
Black feminist curriculum theory; celebrating identities of Black women
Leadership
Early Childhood Education Advisory Council, Reading is Fundabmental, 2023-Present Member, EdPrepLab Steering Committee, 2023-Present AERA, 2020-Present
McNair-Lee, D. (2024). How collective Black feminist currere leads us to a radical Black teacher subjectivity. American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
McNair-Lee, D. (2024). I got on the 36 bus with my regalia on: A rumination of privilege of place and peace. 44th Annual JCT Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice, Dayton, Ohio.
McNair-Lee, D. (2024). Songs in the key of currere: Who am I as a Black woman as taught by Salt-N-Pepa. 44th Annual JCT Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice, Dayton, Ohio.
Recognitions
Mellon Grant Recipient for Critical Reading Seminar Course Development, Trinity Washington University, 2015 David Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Teaching, D.C. Public Schools, 2013
