Taking the Baton: Advancing A. Wade Boykin’s Cultural Asset-Based Vision for Just Educational Renewal

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

This commemorative session honors and advances the groundbreaking work of Dr. A. Wade Boykin, whose scholarship illuminated the cultural strengths of Black children and reshaped conversations about educational equity. Anchored in the 2025 AERA theme, "Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Educational Renewal," this session critically reflects on Boykin’s Triple Quandary Theory and its ongoing impact on educational research, policy, and practice. As we collectively "take the baton" and move his vision forward, this discussion will examine how his framework can drive reparative policies, asset-based learning strategies, and systemic change in K-12 and higher education.

Broad, Interrelated Research and/or Conceptual Questions That Will Be Addressed: (Please note that we will also address questions from the session attendees.)

● Boykin’s Research as a Guide for Reparative Educational Policies
○ How can Triple Quandary insights help reframe racialized disparities in schooling?
○ What specific policy changes can be implemented to affirm cultural strengths in education?

● Applying Asset-Based Strategies to Holistic Remedies
○ How can verve and communalism reshape K-12 and higher education curriculum?
○ What models of culturally sustaining pedagogy are needed to counter deficit-based narratives?

● Advancing Boykin’s Vision in Today’s Political Climate
○ How can scholars and educators push for justice-centered learning environments despite political resistance?
○ What role does leadership in higher education play in sustaining Boykin’s framework?

● Cultural Assets and the Artificial Intelligence Age
○ How can AI-driven learning tools be designed to recognize and uplift cultural strengths?
○ In what ways can AI literacy education align with Triple Quandary’s emphasis on communal learning and verve?


● Cross-Cultural Adaptations of Triple Quandary
○ How has Boykin’s framework been applied internationally?
○ What can global perspectives teach us about scaling asset-based education strategies?


● Research Base Reflected in (Including to be Advanced by) This Session. In other words, what conversation are you joining, advancing, disrupting, and/or pushing?
This session builds upon and advances Boykin's scholarship by engaging in a contemporary dialogue about cultural strengths, communal learning contexts, and the role of school structures in fostering inclusive learning environments. Panelists will contribute their own research and experiences, reflecting on empirical studies that validate asset-based pedagogies and challenge deficit-oriented narratives in education. Through this discussion, the session joins the broader conversation on educational equity, advances asset-based perspectives, and disrupts outdated frameworks that fail to acknowledge the strengths of marginalized students.

● Explicit Relevance to the Theme of “Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Education Renewal” and Significance of this Session as a Presidential Session:
Anchored in the 2025 AERA theme, “Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Educational Renewal,” this session emphasizes how Boykin’s work provides a research-backed remedy for systemic inequities in education. His framework offers a model for repair, countering historical deficit-based narratives with approaches that affirm Black children’s cultural strengths. The session serves as a commemorative tribute to Boykin’s legacy, while also urging scholars, educators, and policymakers to take up the baton and continue this vital work.

● Cross-Cutting Divisional, Multigenerational, or SIG Disciplinary Knowledge From Which the Session Will Draw:
Division A: Administration, Organization, & Leadership
Division C: Learning & Instruction
Division E: Counseling & Human Development
Division G: Social Context of Education
Division K: Teaching and Teacher Education
SIG Research Focus on Black Education (SIG #85)
SIG Talent Development of Students Placed at Risk (SIG #125)


● Role and Contribution of Each Participant:
Chair: C. Malik Boykin (Assistant Professor, Brown University): As the son of Dr. A. Wade Boykin, Dr. Malik Boykin brings a deep personal and scholarly connection to this work. His research explores AI literacy and equity in education, advocating for policies that ensure fairness in AI-driven learning environments. As moderator, he will facilitate a forward-thinking discussion on how Boykin’s work can inform AI’s role in education and the fight for equitable access to digital learning.

Co-Chair: Honey Walrond (Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Berkeley): Dr. Walrond’s research is grounded in a strength-based perspective and inspired by Dr. A. Wade Boykin’s TQ Framework, Dr. Walrond’s work examines how Black educators cultivate high-achieving, culturally affirming learning environments that foster joy and excellence for Black students. As a certified Professional School District Leader and former teacher, she has led school improvement efforts and fostered equitable supportive learning environments. Now, as a researcher of Education, Dr. Walrond explores literacy, Black educators, and K-12 education policy. As session Co-Chair, Dr. Walrond will facilitate Q&A, guiding discussion and engaging attendees.

Brenda Allen (President, Lincoln University): Dr. Allen’s pioneering research with Boykin explored verve as an asset-based strategy in education. Verve, characterized by high energy, movement, and expressive engagement, is a cultural strength among Black students that can enhance classroom engagement. As a university president at an HBCU, Dr. Allen has implemented TQ-based strategies at the institutional level to create affirming educational environments that nurture student success. She will discuss how verve-informed policies and practices can shape higher education leadership and pedagogy.

Sean Coleman (Associate Dean for Student Success, Bowie State University): Dr. Coleman has conducted research on communal learning contexts as a vital component of TQ. His work demonstrates how collaborative, community-driven learning strategies enhance language and math education for marginalized students. As an educator training future school leaders, he will discuss how principals and district leaders can incorporate asset-based strategies into urban K-12 settings and beyond, ensuring students' cultural strengths are validated and leveraged.

Eric Hurley (Professor, Pomona College): Dr. Hurley’s work expands on communalism as a key strength in Black and minority student learning. His research across the U.S., South America, and South Africa examines how community-centered approaches enhance educational experiences in diverse cultural contexts. He will discuss cross-cultural adaptations of Triple Quandary strategies and how educators worldwide can implement culturally sustaining practices.

Carol D. Lee (Emeritus Professor, Northwestern University): Dr. Lee has applied TQ to the science of learning, particularly in civic education, science, and reading comprehension. Her research highlights how asset-based frameworks promote deeper, justice-oriented engagement in learning. She will discuss the role of TQ in developing civic responsibility, critical thinking, and literacy development—essential skills for students navigating today’s educational and social landscape.

Stephanie Rowley (Dean, School of Education, University of Virginia): Dr. Rowley’s research builds upon Boykin’s work by examining psychosocial factors that influence academic identity formation. As a higher education leader, she will discuss how TQ can shape institutional policies that support asset-based education and ensure students from historically marginalized backgrounds receive equitable opportunities to thrive.

Sub Unit

• AERA Sessions

Chairs

• Malik Boykin, Brown University

• Honey Walrond, University of California - Berkeley

Discussant

• Rodney K. Hopson, American University

Panelists

• Brenda A. Allen, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania

• Eric A. Hurley, Pomona College

• Carol D. Lee, Northwestern University

• Stephanie J. Rowley, University of Virginia

• Sean T. Coleman, Bowie State University