Research Analyst II
Jennifer C. Mann is a Research Analyst II for the BELLA (Bridging English Language Learning and Academics) projects, which are focused on designing and testing a professional development program for teachers which utilizes culturally relevant pedagogies and integrates cultural wealth into the use of high-impact instructional strategies.
Mann is a National Board Certified Teacher who has spent sixteen years as an educator. During that time, she taught elementary English as a Second Language, high school English language arts, and undergraduate pre-service English education. She is currently a doctoral candidate in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences program at North Carolina State University, where she specializes in Literacy and English Language Arts. While studying at NC State, Mann was the lead graduate research assistant for a university-community literacy research project aimed at amplifying the voices of marginalized youth through writing, publishing, and sharing their stories.
Her research interests include critical literacy, refugee and immigrant education, and culturally sustaining pedagogies. Her current research utilizes social design-based experimentation with young adults from refugee backgrounds and explores how critical literacy provides opportunities for increased equity and access to education.