ABOUT ME
Education
Ph.D. Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy
Michigan State University, 2006
M.Ed. Reading Specialist Endorsement
Wayne State University, 1998
AB Ed Elementary Education
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 1995
Professional Experience
2007-Present. Professor, The University of Michigan-Dearborn
2006-2007 Assistant Professor, CSU Fresno
1999-2006, Reading Specialist, Grosse Pointe Public Schools
1995-1999, Teacher, Detroit Public Schools
Professor, Qualitative Researcher, Film Producer, Expert on the Educational Landscape in Detroit
I prepare pre and in-service teachers for equity pedagogy and culturally sustaining pedagogies in urban and diverse teaching contexts. I coordinate the reading clinic at the University of Michigan-Dearborn for reading specialist candidates, in conjunction with a university and community partner collaboration with the Center 4 Success in Detroit.
I have published my research in a variety of scholarly journals, including the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, Urban education, and the Journal of Language, Identity and Education.
I have presented the findings of my research at national and international conferences, including the Literacy Research Association, American Educational Research Association, and European Conference on Literacy.
My research is situated in my identity as a lifelong Detroiter who was among the first generation of post 1967 rebellion youth to attend citywide Detroit Public Schools. My family was among a critical mass of families who remained in the city and sought racially integrated magnet schools. My upbringing influenced my research on school choice decisions in Detroit, an ethnographic case study that documents the elementary and middle school trajectory of students, whose school choice decisions were informed by their participation in a social network.
This research has been captured in a documentary short I produced, entitled "My Child's K-5 School Journey in Detroit: Voices from the Best Classroom Project," which has been featured in film festivals in Detroit and abroad, including The Better Cities Film Festival in Detroit and the World Urban Forum in Poland. These forums showcased the roles that good schools play in supporting revitalizing cities.
I have been featured in a variety of news outlets to discuss my expertise on the educational landscape, including Time Magazine, the IA Show, Newsy, and The University Record, and the Hechinger Report.
RESEARCH
Refereed Book Chapters
In-service Teachers' Development of Culturally Sustaining Assessment and Instruction for Detroit Youth
Hill, K.D. (2022)Dimensions of global meaning making in a German secondary school: Through the lens of teachers’ high expectations for immigrant and refugee youth. In L.C. Assaf, P. Sowat and K. Zammit. Global Meaning Making: Disrupting and Interrogating International Literacy Research and Teaching. Emerald Publishing.
Hill, K.D. & Burke, C.J. (2020). The education system of the United States:Equity in US K-12 and higher education. In S. Jornitz and M. Parreira do Amaral (Eds.)., Global Education Systems. The Global Education Systems of the Americas.Springer Press.
Hill, K.D. (2012). We don’t know how to teach those kids! A suburban teacher implements critical literacy with urban students. In L. Pardo, K. Highfield, & Florio-Ruane, S. (Eds.). Standing for literacy: Teaching in the context of change. NJ: Hampton Press.
Hill, K.D. (2010, reprint). Codeswitching pedagogies and African American student voices: Acceptance and resistance in an affluent suburb. In R.M. Bean and N. Heisey and C.M. Roller (Eds.). Preparing reading professionals (2nd ed.). International Reading Association.
MEDIA
CONTACT
- Consulting--K-12 Literacy
- Panelist/Forum contributor
- Schedule a school choice film viewing/
discussion
- Professional Development
kirdara@umich.edu
