Educating for Change^®

Bonnie M. Davis, Ph.D.

Bonnie M. Davis, Ph.D., is the author of the best-selling Corwin Press book, How to Teach Students Who Don’t Look Like     You: Culturally Relevant Teaching Strategies (2006). She currently serves as a consultant on literacy coaching, writing across the content areas, and culturally proficient instruction to schools, districts, and professional organizations.  Her book on literacy coaching, How to Coach Teachers Who Don’t Think Like You: Using Literacy Strategies to Coach Across Content Areas, was published in 2007 by Corwin Press.  Her latest book, The Biracial and Multiracial Student Experience: A Journey to Racial Literacy, will be published in June 2009 by Corwin Press.

For 30 years, she taught English in middle schools, high schools, universities, homeless shelters, and a men's prison.  She is the recipient of several awards, including The Teacher of the Year, The Governor's Award for Teaching Excellence, and The Anti-Defamation League’s World of Difference Community Service Award.  Bonnie holds a Ph.D. in English from Saint Louis University.

She has presented for the National Staff Development Council, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Education Association, National Council for Teachers of English, and National Association of Multicultural Education, among others.

Her publications include African-American Academic Achievement: Building a Classroom of Excellence (2001) and numerous articles on literacy and cultural instruction, such as A Cultural Safari, a National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Paul Farmer Writing Award runner-up winner.  Recently, she authored the cover article in the Missouri National Education Association’s (MNEA) publication, Something Better (Winter, 2006).  She appears in The School Improvement Network’s video program, No Excuses! How to Increase Minority Student Achievement (2006), along with experts James Comer, Kati Haycock, Sonia Nieto, Beverly Tatum, and others.

In addition to her writing, Bonnie spends her professional life presenting to and coaching educators.  Because she spent 30 years in the classroom, she considers herself first a teacher and she relates to staffs in a lively, interactive manner.  When she works with educators, Bonnie is passionate, funny, and energetic, modeling for staff instructional and relationship strategies to "close the achievement gap" by improving instruction.   A former Midwesterner, she currently lives in Southern California and is available for keynotes, presentations, workshops, and consultation.

Click to view Dr. Davis' Vita

Click here to view contact information for Bonnie Davis