Toshiba L. Adams, PhD
Welcome to my webpage! I am an experienced educator in the field of early education, sociology of education and education policy. As a consultant, my goal is to remain abreast about the challenges that impact the field of early education and work diligently to develop and implement equitable programs and policies that foster equity. Please feel free to explore this page to learn more about my areas of expertise.
Educator, Consultant & Training Specialist
Who am I?
I serve as a full-time professor and Instructional Chair (IC) of early childhood education at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). Additionally, I assume an adjunct professor position at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the Social Foundation of Education department where I serve the needs of both undergraduate and graduate-level student populations. I have assumed a teaching position in higher education for over 20 years.
I am dedicated to developing culturally relevant pedagogies that are rooted in liberation and social justice. As a feminist scholar, I am careful
to incorporate black feminist epistemologies and critical race frameworks into my teaching approach to ensure that students better understand the ways that Black and Brown populations experience marginalization at the intersection of their social identities. My teaching approach aid students in identifying social inequalities, challenge them to critically examine dominant narratives that perpetuate social inequalities and encourage them to serve as change agents.
My instructional areas include early childhood education, sociology of education, urban education, education policy and research methods. I facilitate instruction in a variety of delivery methods, including face-to-face, blended, virtual, hyflex and online modalities. My research and study interests include examining the relationship between structural inequalities and child development; the early education, k-12 and postsecondary workforce; the social, political and educational mobility of minority populations; social stratification and the ways that public policy impact various populations at the intersection of their multiple identities.
Prior to embarking upon a career at the college and university level, I served as the founder and co-owner of a NAEYC-accredited early childhood education center, from 1998-2008. In this position, I partnered with my parents to provide high quality, developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant educational programming to children and families within the city of Milwaukee.
Publications
Adams, T. (2023, under review). "They sexualized our bodies": Spirit killing, Black girls and the intersection between race, gender and school discipline. Urban Education.
Adams, T. (2023). Executive Summary on Advancing equity in Wisconsin’s early education workforce: A narrative inquiry that centers the lived experiences of Wisconsin’s Black and Brown professionals. Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, Madison, Wisconsin, 1-16.
Adams, T. (2023). Racial Battle Fatigue: Microaggressions and the experience of middle-class Black women who graduated from a predominantly Black suburban high school. Black Child Journal.
Adams, T. (2021). “I’m not one of them”: Tracking, racial identity and the psychological health of high achieving Black girls. The Journal of the Alliance of Black School Educators, 11(2).
Adams, T. (2023). Navigating the suburban terrain: Race, class, gender and high school inequality. Journal of Negro Education.
Adams, T. (2020). Moving in the right direction: Addressing the racial opportunity gap in education by creating culturally relevant early education programs. Childcare Exchange.
Farmer-Hinton, R. & Adams, T. (2006). Social capital and college preparation: Exploring the role of counselors in a college prep school for students of color. Negro Educational Review.
Adams, T. (2005). Class and schools: Using social, economic, and educational reform to close the Black-White achievement gap. Urban Education. Book Review.
Board Membership
Wisconsin Early Childhood Association, Vice President (2020 - current)
Black Child Development Institute - Wisconsin, Board Member (2023 - current)
University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, Board Member (2024)
T.E.A.C.H. National, Board Member (2023 - current)
