Experienced educator and PhD in Leadership and Change alumna Dr. J. Love Benton has recently published her dissertation entitled, Culturally Collaborative Teaching: A Path Toward Black Student Learning. The focus of the research reveals a new framework for education, which Dr. Benton has termed Culturally Collaborative Teaching. The framework represents a path for Black student learning taking into account both Black and White teachers’ understandings of what the critical factors are when educating Black students, highlights the importance of collaboration to bring about meaningful and positive change, and emphasizes the need for administrators and teachers to grow and develop in areas such as race, culture, and bias given that beliefs and abilities can change and develop over time. The goal of the research is toward impacting transformational change to share the experience of equitable education through K-12 systems for Black students.

Dr. J. Love Benton is a current Adjunct Professor at Columbus State Community College. Her background is unique, in that it intersects with several disciplines that include: education; diversity, equity, and inclusion; curriculum development; teaching and learning; nonprofit sector; sexual assault and domestic violence; trauma informed care; and LGBTQ+ communities. In addition to her doctoral degree, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Communication from The Ohio State University, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Ashland University, and a Master of Arts in Leadership and Change from Antioch University.