Shontoria Walker

Dr. Shontoria Walker is a graduate from the University of Houston in Houston, Texas with a degree in Professional Leadership with an emphasis in Literacy. Her research focuses on using culturally relevant pedagogy to influence literacy achievement for middle school Black Male Students based on her experiences as a former 8th grade English teacher at an all-boys preparatory academy. She has also served on the Texas Teacher Advisory Board, a Teach Plus Policy Fellow as well as a Senior Policy Fellow with Teach Plus Texas from 2014-2019. During her time and beyond she has advocated for educational policy laws that directly impacted the classroom as well as contributed to policy briefings for the revision of The Every Student Succeeds Act and national policy reports such as If You Listen, We Will Stay: Why Teachers of Color Leave and How To Disrupt Teacher Turnover and more recently To Be Who We are: Black Teachers on Creating Affirming School Cultures.

She currently serves as the Executive Director of Education PowerED. Launched in February 2019, Education PowerED is one of the fastest growing movements in education promoting culturally responsive teaching and identity-based education. Education PowerED conducts educational research, develops instructional resources, and facilities teacher education centered on the four domains of culturally responsive teaching: Culture Management, Authentic Engagement, Social Justice, and Community Partnerships. The mission of the organization is to spark a revolution through education that liberates our students, our community; wherever they may be.

Dr. Walker has also co-authored a book, available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and more, that is slated to transform classrooms and schools and create opportunities for students from all cultural backgrounds. Culture To The Max! Culturally Responsive Teaching and Practice published by Jossey-Bass books and Wiley Publishing presents readers with a powerful new set of culturally responsive teaching standards that can be used by teachers and administrators to counter institutionalized racism and white supremacy. The book offers an in-depth look into the practice and implementation of culturally responsive teaching that can inform curriculum development, teacher evaluation, and classroom and culture evaluation. Readers will find the criteria necessary to apply consistent reliability and efficacy guidelines to culturally responsive practices, a seven-pillar culturally responsive teaching framework that includes essential skills development, experiential learning, leadership development, identity development, restorative justice, social and emotional learning, and sociopolitical consciousness. Expert opinions, practice tips, and personal anecdotes that address the challenges and triumphs of the implementation of culturally responsive classroom behaviors. Perfect for K-12 educators and administrators, Culture To The Max! also belongs in the libraries of teachers-in-training and higher education professionals who seek to acknowledge, respond to, and celebrate the right of all students to enjoy full and equitable access to education.

More recently, she has been featured in USA Today, Wandering Educators as well as Authority Magazine. In her everyday work she is committed to collaborating with teachers, administrators, and district leaders to ensure that all students receive an equitable literacy education across the district. Graduating with distinction as summa cum laude of her doctorate cohort, her passion and dedication to literacy education and equitable educational policy laws is interminable.