Adrienne Denise Dixson is an American educational theorist who heads the department of educational policy studies in the

Penn State College of Education The College of Education is one of 15 colleges at The Pennsylvania State University, located in University Park, Pennsylvania. It houses the departments of Curriculum and Instruction, Education Policy Studies, Learning and Performance Systems, and ...

Life

Dixson earned a B.A. in music theory with a minor in Black studies from the Dana School of Music at

Youngstown University Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

. She completed a M.A. in educational studies with a minor in sociology at the

University of Michigan School of Education The University of Michigan Marsal Family School of Education is the school of education of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. The School of Education offers undergraduate, master's, a ...

. She received a Ph.D. in

multicultural education Multicultural education is a set of educational strategies developed to provide students with knowledge about the histories, cultures, and contributions of diverse groups. It draws on insights from multiple fields, including ethnic studies and w ...

with a minor in Afro-American studies from the department of curriculum and instruction at the

University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education is a school within the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Although teacher education was offered at the university's founding in 1848, the School was officially started in 1930 and today is ...

. Her dissertation was titled, ''Theorizing Black Women’s Pedagogy: the Pedagogical Practices and Philosophies of Black Women Teachers''. Dixson is a scholar of education studies and her research applies several frameworks including critical race theory and Black feminism. From 2004 to 2011, she was an associate professor at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

. She was a professor at the University of Illinois College of Education from 2011 to 2022 where served was also the interim director of the center for education in small urban communities in 2013. In 2021, she was elected a fellow of the

American Educational Research Association The American Educational Research Association (AERA, pronounced "A-E-R-A") is a professional organization representing education researchers in the United States and around the world. AERA's mission is to advance knowledge about education and ...

. In 2022, she joined the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

as a professor of educational leadership studies and the executive director of the education and civil rights initiative. In May 2024, Dixson was announced as the new head of the department of education policy studies in the

, succeeding Kevin Kinser. She begins the role on July 1, 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dixson, Adrienne Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) Youngstown State University alumni University of Michigan School of Education alumni University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Ohio State University faculty University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty University of Kentucky faculty Pennsylvania State University faculty Fellows of the American Educational Research Association 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics African-American women academics American educational theorists 21st-century women educational theorists 21st-century American women academics African-American feminists American feminists Feminist theorists