Meet Dr. Nightengale-Lee

A Detroit native, Dr. Nightenagale-Lee's stance toward education stems from her early introduction to public schooling. Having been retained in kindergarten, labeled with a learning disability in first grade, and tracked in the lowest reading group in second grade, she didn’t think academic achievement was a possibility for her. Coupled with being a Black girl, attempting to learn within a 1980s Euro-centric curriculum, and you have the recipe for a voiceless student. Though her experience was unfortunate, she uses it as a catalyst to resist dominant forms of standardized curricula that ignore the “rich cultural and linguistic legacies of diverse student populations” (Kinloch, 2013, p.15). Her epistemological outlook is antithetical to her educational experience, and platforms her work as a critical educator, writer and researcher.

Dr. Nightengale-Lee currently serves as the director of the Lewis Walker Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnic Relations at Western Michigan University. With over 15 years as an elementary educator, and literacy specialist, her expertise is grounded in a deep understanding of culturally relevant pedagogical practice.

With articles published in, Multicultural Perspectives, the Journal of Literacy Theory: Research Methods & Practice, The Journal of Literacy Research, as well as the Oxford Encyclopedia of Research, her work examines the intersections of critical theory, literacy, curriculum, and culture, to foreground curricular development reflective of the lives and literacies of BIPOC students. Her authentic and translational approach to research has garnered awards and honors from multiple organizations and institutions including: The National Council of Teachers of English, Literacy Research Association, and Florida Atlantic University.

In schools, Dr. Nightengale-Lee works with teachers and students to develop literacy experiences that draw on the cultural resources of BIPOC youth through Hip Hop. Through this lens, Hip Hop is leveraged as a vehicle that stretches beyond traditional literacy norms to reflect the cultural practices of urban life through song, art, dance and self-expression. In teacher education, she works with in-service and pre-service teachers to prepare them to meet the demands of 21st century learning contexts, which reflect the racially, socially, and politically charged structures that shape education, and the practical pathways that lead to increased equitable outcomes. Within higher education, Dr. Nightengale-Lee founded a trans-disciplinary learning collective, which connects innovative university faculty to learn, discuss and explore decolonial approaches to teaching and learning.