Dr. Daren Graves is a Professor of Education and Social Work at Simmons. Dr. Graves also serves on the Steering Committee of the Harvard Global Sports Initiative. His research lies at the intersection of racial identity development, critical consciousness, and education. Dr. Graves has reported on his work in a variety of publications including Schooling for Critical Consciousness: Engaging Black and Latinx Youth in Analyzing, Navigating, and Challenging Racial Injustice (Harvard Education Press, 2020) and in his co-edited volume, The Bloomsbury Handbook of Hip Hop Pedagogy (Bloomsbury, 2024).
Education
- EdD, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- EdM, Harvard Graduate School of Education
- BA, Yale University
Area of Expertise
- Identity Development
- Critical consciousness
- Hip Hop Pedagogy
- Teacher education
- Social Work education
Courses
- GEDUC 445 Educational Psychology
- DEDU 653 Qualitative Research Methodology
- Honors 101/LCIS 101 First Year Seminar- Honors Program
- SW 409 Racism and Dynamics of Oppression
- BOS 101 “From Pumpsie to Papi”: Race and Sports in the City of Champions
Community Engagement
- Supporting Black Boys to Thrive At School
- Participation, Inclusion and Social Responsibility in Global Sports
- HGSE Hosts Event Discussing Surveillance of Muslim Youth
- Written All Over My Face: A Talk With Dr. Daren Graves
- Randolph MLK Day speaker looks back, ahead
Research/Special Projects
- Co-Principal Investigator, (2022-2024). “Building Civic Character in Crew through Communities of Practice.” John Templeton Foundation (with Dr. Scott Seider: Boston College, co-PI)
- Co-Principal Investigator, (2016-2019). “The development of critical consciousness in adolescents attending ‘no excuses’ and progressive urban charter high schools.” Spencer Foundation (with Dr. Scott Seider; Boston University, co-PI).
- Co-Principal Investigator, (2015-2017).“Critical consciousness combines civic, intellectual, and performance character virtues to foster positive youth development.” John Templeton Foundation (with Dr. Scott Seider: Boston University, co-PI)
- Schooling for Critical Consciousness
- Promising Practices and Unfinished Business: Fostering Equity and Excellence for Black and Latino Males
- Can “Critical Consciousness” Close the Opportunity Gap?
Publications/Presentations
Kelly, L. and Graves, D. (Eds). (2024) The Handbook of Hip Hop Pedagogy. Bloomsbury Academic; London
Graves, D., El-Amin, A., & Seider S. (2023) “Tools of Whiteness and Teaching for Critical Consciousness” in E. Godfrey and L. Rapa (Eds). Developing Critical Consciousness in Youth: Contexts and Settings; Cambridge University Press
Graves, D. (2021). “Authority must be on the side of freedom”: The relationship between teachers’ authority and Black and Latinx students’ political agency in challenging racism. Theory Into Practice, 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2021.1983329
Graves, D., Kelly, L., & McArthur, S. (Eds.). (2020). Special Issue: Teaching for Critical Consciousness: Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy. The International Journal of Critical Media Literacy, 2(1). Brill Press
Seider, S., and Graves, D. (2020). Schooling for critical consciousness: Engaging Black and Latinx youth in analyzing, navigating, and challenging racial injustice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press
Graves, D. (2017). “Written all over my face” – The toll of a Black Man teaching White students about racism. In R. Kohli and B. Picower (Eds.), Confronting racism in teacher education: Counternarratives of critical practice (pp. 60-67). New York, NY: Routledge
Seider, S., and Graves, D. (2020). Schooling for critical consciousness: Engaging Black and Latinx youth in analyzing, navigating, and challenging racial injustice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press
Graves, D. (2017) "Written all over my face" – The toll of a Black Man teaching White students about racism. In R. Kohli and B. Picower (Eds.), Confronting racism in teacher education: Counternarratives of critical practice (pp. 60-67). New York, NY: Routledge
Seider, S., Graves, D., El-Amin, A., Soutter, M., Tamerat, J., Jennett, P., Clark, S., Johannsen, J., & Keene, A. (2014). Faculty of color teaching critical race theory at a PWI: An autoethnography. Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, 3(2), 1-30.
Graves, D., Sweet, D.A., & McGowan, M. (2010). I feel like I can do it too: A paradigm shift in an urban library internship program. Urban Library Journal, 16(1), 1-18.
Graves, D., McGowan, M., & Sweet, D.A. (2010). Making a home: Critical pedagogy in a library internship program for high school students. In E. Drabinski, A. Kumbier, & M. Accardi (Eds.), Critical library instruction: Theories and methods (pp. 161-175). Los Angeles, CA: Library Juice Press
Awards
- Simmons University Provost's Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching (2021)
- Simmons College Dean's Award for Exceptional Undergraduate Teaching (2011)