Thriving in the Middle School Years
March 27–28, 2025
Featured Speakers
Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences. His latest release, Twenty-Four Seconds from Now, tackles the topic of a young boy’s “first time” in an unfiltered and undeniably sweet stream of consciousness story. Some of his other works include National Book Award Finalist Look Both Ways, Caldecott Honor There Was a Party for Langston, and Ain’t Burned All The Bright, a Caldecott Honor winner. In his works, Jason aims to depict the rich inner lives of kids of color and ensure that they see themselves and their communities in literature.
Reynolds’ book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, written in collaboration with author and historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, is a gripping, fast-paced, and energizing narrative that illuminates the many insidious forms of racist ideas and give readers the tools to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives. Based on Kendi’s National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning, Reynolds has re-imagined this ground-breaking work for young adults and provides an accessible book that helps young readers understand race and society.
Reynolds currently lives and writes in Washington, DC, and has recently finished serving his third term as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
Wendi Williams
Psychologist, advocate, and educator, Dr. Wendi Williams applies her work at the intersection of education and psychology to her scholarship and leadership praxis. Williams completed undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis where she majored in psychology and minored in African and African American Studies. She completed graduate study at Pepperdine University (MA in Psychology) and Georgia State University, where she earned a doctorate in counseling psychology, with an emphasis in multicultural psychology and family systems. Williams began her career as assistant professor in counselor education at Long Island University – Brooklyn and has served as an academic administrator for progressive, justice-focused higher education institutions, like Bank Street College of Education, Mills College, School of Education, and Fielding Graduate University, where she served as provost and senior vice president. Dr. Williams is an accomplished scholar in the areas of transformative leadership in precarious times, with a specific focus on leadership development among diverse leaders in change contexts, most notably with her recently published book Black Women at Work: On Refusal and Recovery and The Majestic Place: The Freedom Possible in Black Women’s Leadership. Learn more about Dr. Williams’ work at drwendiwilliams.com.
Tina Durand
Tina M. Durand is a clinical associate professor of applied human development at BU Wheelock. She is the program director of the PhD in Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development. Dr. Durand is a developmental psychologist with a background in community-based programming for families, and a former K–12 public school teacher. Her research and teaching address critically conscious teacher pedagogy, school contextual factors that promote student success in middle school, and the development of ethnic-racial consciousness and advocacy among adolescents. She is the author of Making the Case for Race in Middle School: Supporting Adolescents and Teachers in Critical Racial Consciousness and Advocacy.
Michael A. Medina
Michael A. Medina is an assistant professor and director of the Applied Human Development program at BU Wheelock. As a Latino first-generation college graduate, Dr. Medina is interested in the systems and contexts that support student success. His research examines the benefits of ethnic-racial identity development and diversity across social contexts. His work concerns what young people believe about their ethnic-racial heritage, what interpersonal and societal factors shape these beliefs, and what challenges youth may face in navigating a racialized society and educational system. He draws from growth mindset and positive psychology frameworks to highlight the unique strength and potential of diverse youth populations.
Penny A. Bishop
A scholar of early adolescence and middle grades education, Dr. Penny A. Bishop is dean of Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and professor in Teaching & Learning. A former middle school teacher, Dr. Bishop has published seven books on education reform, along with dozens of widely cited book chapters and articles in top peer-reviewed journals. Her research, which focuses on providing responsive learning environments for young adolescents, has garnered more than $13 million in external support from public and foundation sources.
Speakers and Panelists
Joshua Bordes, School Counselor, East Boston Middle School
Aaron Brakoniecki, Senior Lecturer & Program Director, Mathematics Education, BU Wheelock
Sarah L. F. Burnham, Postdoctoral Scholar, CIRCLE at Tisch College of Civic Life, Tufts University
Jennifer Greif Green, Professor, Special Education, BU Wheelock
Joshua Goodman, Associate Professor, Education and Economics, BU Wheelock
Erin Hashimoto-Martell, Associate Commissioner, Center for Instructional Support, Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education
Laura Jiménez, Senior Lecturer, Language & Literacy Education, and Director, Center for Educating Critically, BU Wheelock
Adrian Mims, Founder, the Calculus Project
Ola Ozernov-Palchik, Research Assistant Professor, Language & Literacy Education, BU Wheelock
Maria Paredes, Senior Middle School Advisor, GEAR UP, BU Wheelock
Donna Pincus, Director, Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety Treatment Program and CAS Feld Family Professor of Teaching Excellence, Boston University
Angelica Rodriguez, Program Director, Sociedad Latina
Lana Edwards Santoro, Research Professor, Special Education, BU Wheelock
Rebecca Shangraw, Senior Lecturer, Applied Human Development, BU Wheelock
V. Scott Solberg, Professor, Counseling Psychology, and Co-Director, Center for Future Readiness, BU Wheelock
Kaylene Stevens, Clinical Assistant Professor, Social Studies Education, BU Wheelock
Annabel Stoler, Doctoral Student, Math & Science Education, BU Wheelock
Ariel Tichnor-Wagner, Program Director and Lecturer, Social Studies Education, BU Wheelock
Ziming Xuan, Professor, Community Health Sciences, BU School of Public Health