Fatima Brunson

Fatima Brunson, Ph.D., serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Spelman College since 2023. Her academic portfolio spans teaching, research, and service, with a central focus on advancing equity and justice in educational systems from PK-12 through higher education and community settings. She actively contributes to the Institutional Review Board and maintains an office in Giles Hall, Room G03.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. in Policy Studies in Urban Education from the University of Illinois-Chicago
• M.A. in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago
• B.A. in Psychology and Afro-American African Studies from the University of Michigan

Dr. Brunson's research interrogates organizational structures enabling culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, examining teacher collaboration in racially isolated and culturally mixed schools. She develops strategies to enhance STEM engagement for marginalized students through culturally sustaining innovations, bridging theory and practice to dismantle institutional barriers to educational justice.

Her publications reveal systemic approaches to equity, emphasizing institutional support for transformative pedagogies in African American schools. The research highlights how school culture and leadership foster equitable outcomes for Black and Brown youth through organizational conditions and culturally responsive leadership frameworks.

Dr. Brunson provides consultation services for diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice training to various organizations. She mentors students through courses including EDU 407: Advocacy in Schools and EDU 439: History and Philosophy of African American Schools, preparing future educators for equity-centered practice in community contexts.