Detris Adelabu
Clinical Professor
Dr. Detris Honora Adelabu is a clinical professor in the Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development Department at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. In her research, Dr. Adelabu examines factors that support school achievement for rural and urban African American adolescents.
Dr. Adelabu teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on research, transformational leadership, and African American school achievement. She routinely contributes her expertise to nonprofit social justice organizations supporting educational access and community engagement. She is a student-centered, mission-driven educator with a firm commitment to support and enhance the academic development and life opportunities for all students. As a first-generation college graduate, Dr. Adelabu is a powerful advocate for college access and success for first-generation and underrepresented students of color.
Dr. Adelabu served as the dean of arts and sciences and co-dean for academic affairs at Wheelock College, where she led efforts to improve faculty development and student success. As founding director of the Emerging Scholars Program, Dr. Adelabu collaborated with higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations to provide transformative academic opportunities to create a pathway to graduate school and career success for students. At BU Wheelock, Dr. Adelabu continues to be a voice for educational access and success.
Pronouns: she/her
Recent News
In the Media
Education
Postdoc, Counseling and Clinical Psychology, Teachers College Columbia University
EdD, Human Development and Psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education
EdM, Human Development and Psychology, Harvard Graduate School of Education
MS, Community Agency/Mental Health Counseling, Purdue University
BS, Psychology, Southern University-Baton Rouge
Courses
HD 265 Social Science Research for Community Impact
HD 300 Educational Psychology
HD 331 African American School Achievement
RS 655 Mixed Methods Research
Selected Publications
Adelabu, D. H. (2015). Homes Without Walls Families Without Boundaries: How Family Participation in Reality Television Impacts Children's Development. In J. Ward Ellis (Ed) Real Sister: Stereotypes, Respectability, and Black Women in Reality TV. Rutgers University Press.
Adelabu, D. H. (2014). Confronting Resistance: Addressing Issues of Race and Class during Community Based Research, Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 7 (2).
Adelabu, D. H. (2013). Gender differences in time perspective, optimism and school belonging among high achieving African American adolescents, African American Learner, 2.
Adelabu, D., Durand, T. & Jenkins-Scott, J. (2010). Full Service Community Schools. In V. Washington and J. D. Andrews (Eds.) Children of 2020, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, DC.
Selected Presentations
Adelabu, D. H. (2015, July). The Road to College, Innis Public Library, Innis LA.
Adelabu, D. H. & Thayer, P. (2014, December) Teaching and Guiding First Generation Students to Success, Wheelock College, Boston, MA.
Adelabu, D. H. (2014, March). A Home Without Walls, A Family Without Boundaries, presented at 74th Annual Convention of the College Language Association, New Orleans, LA.
Adelabu, D. H. (2013, May). The Resilient Spirit of High Achieving Rural African American Adolescents. Presented at Conference on Research Directions: The African American Child in School, Hilton Head, SC.
Adelabu, D. H. (2013, April). We are Here: High Achieving Rural African American Adolescents. Presented at annual conference of New England Educational Research Organization, Portsmouth, NH.
Thibodeau, B., Lang, J., & Adelabu, D. (2011, October). The Working Student: How Employment Influences Academic achievement. Presented at the annual meeting to the New England Psychological Association, Fairfield, CT.
Adelabu, D. H. (2011, April). Creating Agents of Social Change: Bridging Communities Through Service Learning Research. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.
Adelabu, D. H. (2010, March). Diversity Education and Children's Development. Meritor Academy, Middleton, MA.