Erica B. Edwards

Erica B. Edwards is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University's College of Education. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from Georgia State University and specializes in qualitative, community-engaged research centered on educational justice for Black girls and women. Her work critically examines the school-to-prison nexus, urban education policy, and the role of popular culture in shaping educational experiences.

Her research interests include Black Girlhood Studies, Black Feminist and Womanist theories, culturally responsive methodologies, and the impact of policy on Black women educators. She investigates how race, class, and gender intersect in educational settings, particularly through the lens of intersectionality and healing-informed engagement.

Her recent publications, appearing in journals such as Educational Researcher, Urban Education, and International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, explore themes of Black joy, STEM engagement for Black girls, anti-Blackness in attendance policies, and the well-being of Black women teachers. Her co-authored book, Intersectional Analysis of Popular Culture Texts: Clarity in the Matrix, has received national recognition, including the American Educational Studies Critics Choice Award and the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry Book Award.

• Faculty Community Engagement Award, Wayne State University (2023)
• Kathleen Reilly Koory Endowed Faculty Development Award (2021)
• Faculty Scholarship Award, College of Education (2021)
• Nominee, Foundation for Child Development’s Young Scholars Program (2020)

Dr. Edwards has been actively involved in grant-funded research, including an AERA Division K Anti-Racist Teacher Education Seed Grant for her project Storying to stay: Engaging Black women career teachers in Black feminist narrative practice. She mentors graduate students and teaches courses such as Qualitative Research, Culturally Responsive Program Evaluation, and Intersectional Issues in Educational Leadership. She is also an affiliate faculty member in Educational Research & Evaluation at Wayne State University.