EDUCATION

Teachers College, Columbia University [2023]

  • Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Teaching                                                 

Teachers College, Columbia University [2010]

  • Master of Arts in Elementary Inclusive Education                                            

 University of Pennsylvania [2009]

  • Bachelor of Arts in in Sociology; Minor in Urban Education                                    

PUBLICATIONS

Emerson, A. (in press, 2025). Flip, switch, reverse: A new faculty member tackling a new course and content area. In L. Madden (Ed.), Starting Small. Rowman & Littlefield.

Souto-Manning, M., Buffalo, G., Emerson, A., & Kirton, T. (in press, 2025) Whiteness in teacher education. In. M Winn. & L. Winn (Eds.), Encyclopedia for Social Justice Education. Bloomsbury.

Emerson, A. & Weiner, L. (accepted, 2025). Interview with Lois Weiner: Dangers and Possibilities for Public Education. Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor.

Emerson, A. (2024). Finding my way back to myself: Dismantling internalized structures of oppression. In G. Fellner (Ed.), Arts-based research and the practice of freedom. Brill Sense Publishing.

Nicol, M. & Emerson, A. (2023) Neither here nor there: Graduate students navigating the complexities of motherscholarship during COVID-19. In. P. A. Boda (Ed.), The house will not dismantle itself: Critical futures in education. Peter Lang.

Emerson, A. (2023). Facilitating antiracist session for white parents: Self-Study on the challenges to and perpetuations of whiteness. Whiteness and Education.

Souto-Manning, M., Emerson, A., Marcel, G. ,Rabadi-Raol, A., & Turner, A. (2022). Democratizing creative early educational experiences: A matter of racial justice. Review of Research in Education 46(1), 1-31.

Emerson, A. (2021) They Called Us Enemy: Offering possibilities for teachers to problematize their assumptions about students and parents. Radical Teacher, 120. 

Emerson, A. (2021). Raising a coconspirator: A letter to my child. Bank Street Occasional Paper Series.

Souto-Manning, M., Chajed, A., Emerson, A., Ghim, H., & Nicol, M. (2021). Race matters in early childhood education. In M. Winn & L.T. Winn (Eds.), Transforming teaching and learning through restorative justice. Harvard Education Press.

Emerson, A., Cofield, J., & Nicol, M. W. (2021). Parenting as political acts of love and resistance. Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis 2(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.31274/jctp.11616

Emerson, A.(2020). Book review of Justice on Both Sides: Transforming education through restorative justice. Urban Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085920935963

Emerson, A. (2018). Nepantla: Making space for discomfort in the elementary school classroom. Radical Teacher, 112, 75-77. https://doi.org/10.5195/rt.2018.525

CREATIVE SCHOLARSHIP

2024. Arts+ Exhibit, American Educational Studies Association, Greenville, SC (co-curator and artist contributor)

2023. Solo Exhibition, Moving from Antiracism to Abolition in NYC Schools, Smith Learning Theater, Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, NY

2023. Unfolding, Digital Futures Institute, Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, NY (artist contributor, curated by Lucius Von Joo and Chris Moffett)

2023. Solo Exhibition, Ever Tentative: Visual Art as a Tool for Fumbling and Crystallizing Uncertainty, City University of New York Graduate Center, NYC, NY

RECENT SCHOLARLY PRESENTATIONS & INVITED TALKS

Emerson, A. (forthcoming, 2025, April). Antiracist change: School leaders navigating individual resistance during institutional change.  Paper presentation at American Education Research Association 2025 Annual Meeting, Division A (Leadership). Denver, CO.   

Emerson, A. (forthcoming, 2025, April). A bridge to abolition?: Navigating the waters of a district-wide implicit bias training initiative. Roundtable presentation at American Education Research Association 2025 Annual Meeting, Educational Change SIG. Denver, CO.    

Emerson, A. (2024, November). Teacher misery: Teachers’ experiences in professional development as documented on Instagram. American Educational Studies Association 2024 Annual Meeting. Greenville, SC.

Emerson, A. (2024, April). Teacher learning for racial justice in the creative capital of the northeast. Roundtable presentation at New England Education Research Organization 2023 Annual Meeting. Portsmouth, NH.  

Tapias, M., Bare, K., & Emerson, A. (2024, April). Arts-based methods as a means to disrupt white supremacy cultural values in research. Symposium presentation at American Education Research Association 2024 Annual Meeting, Arts-Based Educational Research SIG. Philadelphia, PA. 

Emerson, A. (2023, November). Art Methodologies for Freedom, Healing, and Understanding in Teaching and Research, Artivism: The Power of Art for Social Transformation, Adelphi University, Virtual.

Emerson, A. (2023, October). Ever Tentative: Visual Art as a Tool for Fumbling and Crystallizing Uncertainty, City University of New York Graduate Center, NYC, NY.

Emerson, A. (2023, September). MODES Panel: A Multimodal Dissertations Panel, Digital Futures Institute, Teachers College, Columbia University, NYC, NY.

Emerson, A. (2023, April). Imagining abolitionist teacher education through the visual arts. Black Paint Curriculum Lab, Teacher College, Columbia University. NYC, NY.

Emerson, A. (2024, April). Moving beyond antiracism to abolition: The curricula of inservice antiracist teacher learning and what’s missing. Paper presentation at American Education Research Association 2024 Annual Meeting, Division K. Philadelphia, PA. 

Emerson, A. (2024, April). A curriculum of relationships: Teacher learning for abolition. Roundtable presentation at American Education Research Association 2024 Annual Meeting, Division B. Philadelphia, PA.   

Emerson, A. (2023, May). Resisting white supremacy culture: Black antiracist facilitators’ mindsets when providing professional development for schools and teachers. Paper presentation at New England Education Research Organization 2023 Annual Meeting. Portsmouth, NH.

Emerson, A. (2023, May). Exploring inservice teachers’ emotional experiences in antiracist professional development through image elicitation. Roundtable presentation at New England Education Research Organization 2023 Annual Meeting. Portsmouth, NH.  

Emerson, A. (2023, April). Mazes, tangles, and disequilibrium: Emotionality and whiteness in the curricula of school-based antiracist professional development. Paper presentation at American Education Research Association 2023 Annual Meeting, Division K. Chicago, IL. 

Emerson, A. (2023, April). Crystallizing themes through the visual arts: Antiracism in schools. Paper presentation at American Education Research Association 2023 Annual Meeting, Arts-Based Educational Research SIG. Chicago, IL. 

ELEMENTARY TEACHING EXPERIENCE

PS 63 - STAR Academy, NYC [2015-2019] - 5th Grade Teacher                                                       

La Cima Charter School, Brooklyn [2012 - 2015] - 5th Grade Teacher

Bronx Lighthouse Charter School, the Bronx [2010-2012] - 3rd and 4th Grade Teacher

The Bronx New School, P.S. 51, the Bronx [2009] - 5th Grade Student Teacher                                       

Central Park East II, NYC [2010] - Kindergarten/1st Grade Student Teacher

HONORS & AWARDS

2023. Riccobono Academic Resilience Faculty Fellowship Program

2022. Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN) Grant Recipient

2022. NEERO John Schmitt Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Research

2022. Teachers College Dean’s Grant for Student Research

2022. Provost’s Grant for Professional Development and Conference Presentation

2022. AERA Division K Graduate Student Pre-Conference Seminar

2021. Dr. Isaac Gottesman Featured Contribution to Critical Thought & Praxis from the Journal of Critical Thought & Praxis

2019-2022. 3-year Doctoral Fellowship from Curriculum & Teaching

2018. Named Spotlight Teacher of the Year by the National Association for Multicultural Education

2018. Profiled for NYC’s Department of Education Office of Teacher Development on Equity teaching practice

2003/2005. Member of Cadet and Junior World Championship Fencing Teams :)

RECENT COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Emerson, A. (2024, November). On not doing all the emotional labor: BIPOC educators experiences in school level antiracist professional development. Teacher-facing research presentation at Teachers College’s Rejuvenating Our Praxis: Sharing Critical Hope Conference.

Emerson, A. (2023, July). Building educators’ racial literacy: Considerations for pushing beyond antiracism into abolitionist PD. Workshop presentation at Teachers College’s Reimagining Education Summer Institute.  

Emerson, A. (2022, July). Building educators’ racial literacy: Considerations for bringing race-based conversations into your school building’s PD. Workshop presentation at Teachers College’s Reimagining Education Summer Institute.

Dressner, M. & Emerson, A. (2022, July). Reimagining the rug: Elementary read aloud as a space for honoring identity and cultivating unity. Workshop presentation at Teachers College’s Reimagining Education Summer Institute.  

Emerson, A. (2021, July). Racial literacy: Supporting white parents in reimagining parenting as antiracist. Workshop presentation at Teachers College’s Reimagining Education Summer Institute [Virtual].