Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is a Professor of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her work focuses on racial literacy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and the educational experiences of Black and Latino male students and African American adult reentry women. She holds a B.A. from New York University, an M.A. from Teachers College, and a Ph.D. from NYU.

• Key Research Interests: Black and Latino Male Students, Critical English Education, Racial Literacy, Urban Teacher Education, Educational Trajectories of African American Women.

Her recent work includes Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education (Teachers College Press, 2021), which won multiple awards, and The Peace Chronicles (2021), a poetic exploration of racial healing. She has published extensively in journals like Research in the Teaching of English and International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, emphasizing racial trauma literacy, multimodal pedagogy, and poetic praxis as tools for equity. Her research trends highlight the intersection of literacy, social justice, and urban education reform.

• Scientific Awards: NCTE David H. Russell Award (2022), LRA Edward B. Fry Book Award (2022), EdWeek RHSU Edu-Scholar Influencer (2022), AERA Division K Mid-Career Award (2016).

She co-edits special journal issues, including The Impact of Classroom Practices (Information Age Publishing, 2021), and mentors doctoral students in equity-focused research. Her Racial Literacy Roundtable Series at Teachers College fosters candid discussions on race, privilege, and access in education.