Ecosystem Of Engagements

A gathering of Ja’Dell’s shared scholarship, presentations, and other
public-facing work.

SELECTED REPORTS + PUBLICATIONS

  • Sustaining the Self: Disconnection and Counterspaces Among Black Women

    In the book, "Campus Counterspaces: Black and Latinx Students'
    Search for Community at Historically White Universities.”

    A common narrative in college transition research and practice sets "belonging" as optimal and available to all students. This chapter challenges this assumption and profiles three Black women whose strategic disconnection from campus fueled their college persistence

    BOOK CHAPTER →

  • #NormalNeverWorked: The  Fight for Back Liberation in the Context of Education and COVID-19

    We conducted exploratory focus groups with district leaders, teachers, student alumni, and Community-Based Organization leaders to understand their experiences in educational contexts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, what self- and community-care looked like during this time, and liberatory education futures for Black communities post-COVID.

    JOURNAL ARTICLE →

  • Creating Collaborative Spaces to Practice Praxis

    In the Journal, "New Directions for Evaluation.”

    The WCER Clinical Program (wcerclinicalprogram.org) facilitates collaboration between graduate students and community-based partners around research, evaluation, practice, and policy through applied projects in the community. This collaborative chapter highlights how my colleagues and I practice praxis and apply our values of Culturally Responsive and Equitable Evaluation (CREE) in all areas of our work.

    JOURNAL ARTICLE →

The Makings of Everyday Revolutions: Racial Intelligence, the Interaction Order, and the Nature of ‘Preparation’ for College

Historically White Institutions (HWIs) continue to shape the landscape of college choice through norms and practices rooted in Whiteness. Does being "college ready" include understandings of how to navigate the racial terrain of college among college access professionals supporting racially minoritized students to-and-through college? I explore this in theory and practice in my dissertation.

Ja'Dell Davis Ph.D., Dept. of Sociology | University of Wisconsin-Madison

READ DISSERTATION →

TALKS + PRESENTATIONS

Ja'Dell Davis, Phd., on BLESS Collective Co/Lab: A Formula for Transformation
Featured in LEARN Magazine at University of Buffalo

Putting Wheels On This Wagon: Racial Equity in Education Evidence

Racial Disproportionality Institute, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Green Bay, WI | June 2024

The “New” Coalition: Elevating Youth & Community Voices to Advance Equitable Outcomes

Grantmakers for Education 2021 Annual Conference [Panelist] 
Virtual | Oct 2021

Critical Consciousness and the College Application: Recognition, Reflection, and Action

Teachers College, Columbia University
New York, NY | Apr 2024

Fostering Everyday Revolutions:
Culturally Responsive College Guidance

NCORE 2026
New York, NY | May 2025

  • “Ja’Dell challenged us to see our work differently while giving us the tools to act on it. The experience shifted how our team approaches evaluation.”

    — Senior Research Associate, Education Research Collaborative

  • “Ja’Dell’s ability to translate complex ideas into practical tools made our work stronger and more intentional. Our team still references the frameworks she introduced.”

    — Director, College Access Initiative

  • “Ja’Dell brought both intellectual rigor and care to our collaboration. She helped our team think more critically about equity and how it shows up in practice.”

    — Program Manager, Youth Development Network