Dorothy Hines Datiri

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Featured Fellow

College:
College of Education
Program:
Educational Policy
Fellowship:
King-Chavez-Parks Fellowship

Dorothy Hines Datiri was interveiwed while working on her PhD in educational policy. She was a King-Chavez-Parks Future Facutly Fellow while at Michigan State. Prior to coming to MSU she received a BA in political science from North Carolina State University and an MPA from North Carolina Central University.

What made you choose MSU for your graduate degree?

My research interests focus on urban low-income students of color who leave high school without a diploma. The College of Education at Michigan State University was starting an Urban Education Specialization program that I believed would assist me in developing a stronger understanding of urban education. Having the opportunity to work with esteemed scholars, faculty members, and urban students to further my understanding of disadvantaged youth was additionally integral to my development as a future professor. The Education Policy program at Michigan State University provides numerous resources , funding, and collaborations with graduate students. Furthermore, diversity innovatives in the College of Education were focused on providing students of color supportive programs for persisting in obtaining graduate degrees. These factors made my decision to attend MSU an easy one.

Please describe your research as an MSU student.

My research as an MSU student has focused on youth who leave high school without a diploma, urban education, and pre-service teacher training. Currently, my dissertation research is examining how students transition from their neighborhood to school and various adaptation strategies they employ. With assistance from Dr. Dorinda Carter Andrews, I am researching the role of Zero Tolerance Policies on Black girls’ education in urban schools. This has underscored the role that policy implementation plays within urban settings and how policy actors understand and practice policy within the classroom. Additionally, working with Dr. Barbara Schneider with the College Ambition Program has allowed me to be a Site Coordinator at an urban high school and collect research on dual enrollment.

What led you down this path of study?

As a former teacher in a low-income district, I have worked with a diverse population of students who have achieved academically or underachieved. This opportunity has fostered my understanding at the ground level of how education equity and inequality play out in schools. During my Master’s Program I was able to serve as a graduate assistant with the Institute for the Study of Minority Issues at North Carolina Central University which allowed me to substantiate my teaching experience within research. These factors led to my interest in pursuing the field of education as a doctoral student and future faculty member.

How do you envision your research being built upon in the future, by yourself or by others?

My research primarily focuses on disadvantaged urban students and their experiences in K-12 schools. My research is build on their voices and how they understand their world as urban youth. In the future, my research will continue to underscore their lived experiences. I will only have the opportunity to write them and share them with others.

How has your fellowship impacted your education?

The Future Faculty Fellowship has allowed me to conduct research at my dissertation site during the academic year. This has given me the opportunity to deepen my dissertation research and to fund study related resources. Receiving this fellowship has additionally allowed me to strengthen my academic achievements as a graduate student of color in the Education Policy department and in the College of Education.

Do you have specific future career plans you would like to share?

After graduation, I plan to obtain a faculty position at a higher education research institution while working with urban high school students.