Marguerite W. Penick

Marguerite W. Penick, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Leadership, Literacy and Social Foundations at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She has held full-time faculty status since 2001 and previously served as an ad hoc faculty member since 1996. Her expertise spans multicultural education, social justice, curriculum design, culturally responsive pedagogy, and PK-12 African American literature.

Education:

• Bachelor of Arts in Speech/Drama Education, Iowa State University (1981)
• Master of Arts in Educational Policy, University of Wisconsin-Madison (1989)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Supervision (with emphases in Minority Education and Education Foundations), University of Iowa (1993)

Her research focuses on dismantling systemic inequities through education. Notable contributions include co-editing Everyday White People Confront Racial and Social Injustice and the forthcoming A Guide for White Women Teaching Black Boys, as well as founding editorship of the journal Understanding and Dismantling Privilege. She actively engages in service-learning and community partnerships to foster equitable teaching practices.

Penick is a leader in interdisciplinary collaboration, exemplified by her role in designing the university's cohesive literacy block curriculum. She serves on prestigious committees including the Coretta Scott King Award Committee (American Library Association) and the Social Justice Book Award Committee (International Literacy Association).

Her 6 years of PK-12 teaching experience inform her classroom practices, which emphasize courageous conversations about equity. She mentors faculty through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) initiative and advocates for pedagogical models that mirror real-world educational challenges.