Swarthmore, PA 19081

The talk is at the intersections of history and sociological research, where Dr. Royal will focus on the experiences of Black educators in the Philadelphia School District and Constance Clayton, the first African American woman to hold the position of school superintendent in Philadelphia.

For questions please contact Edwin Mayorga emayorg1@swarthmore.edu – 610-957-6154

For the public, please notify Edwin Mayorga by email emayorg1@swarthmore.edu or our facebook event page if you are planning on attending, as some food will be provided.

Biographical information

Camika Royal, courtesy: www.theelitevoices.com

Camika Royal, Ph.D. has served urban communities as an educator since 1999. Born and reared in Philadelphia, Dr. Royal obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from North Carolina Central University and received her Master of Arts in Teaching degree in English Education from Johns Hopkins University. She began her career teaching middle school language arts in Baltimore and was a teacher coach and administrator in Washington, DC. After returning to Philadelphia in 2006, she became a teacher educator at Lincoln University, Temple University, Ursinus College, Cabrini College, and Johns Hopkins University while she completed her doctoral studies in urban education at Temple University. In 2014, she returned to Baltimore as Assistant Professor of Urban Education at Loyola University Maryland. Her work focuses on the role of race in urban schooling policies, practices, and reform. Dr. Royal’s her research interests include the historical and sociopolitical contexts of schooling, Black educators, urban educators, educator efficacy and resilience, and critical race theory. Her publications include “School Reform and School Choice in Philadelphia, Chicago, and New Orleans” in Handbook of Research on Urban Education (Routledge, publisher), “‘They Schools’, Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Under Siege” (forthcoming from Teachers College Record), and she is currently writing a book about race and school reform in Philadelphia. Dr. Royal has also written about contemporary education issues for the Huffington Post and GOOD.is, and she has been a recurring education expert for ABC, Al Jazeera America TV, and Huff Post Live.