Ranice Innocent
Previous Degrees Obtained
Masters in Science Education: Curriculum & Instruction (WGU: Western Governors University), BA in Elementary Education w/ teaching credential K-8 (WWU: Western Washington University), Reading Endorsement & National Board Certification in Early-Middle Childhood Literacy (NBPTS: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards)
Research Topic
1. Equity Policies in education-are they working? Years later? Are they sustainable?
2. Retaining Teachers of color/wellness/joy/thriving (*BIPOC Tax*)
3. Inequities and Disparities of public schools, specifically inner city/Title 1/government funded and/or under-resourced schools K-5
4. Equitable Literacy Practices-science of reading-intersections, urgency, and crisis of kids leaving 3rd grade on if they are not reading fluently or proficiently, the cards stacked against them/drop out rate, school to prison pipeline reality.
Ranice Innocent (she/her) is a National Board Certified Teacher, K-5 Reading Interventionist, Race and Equity Educator & Leader, and holds a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Ranice Innocent is an experienced and talented veteran educator and practitioner of culturally sustaining pedagogy. She provides supportive, useful and on-point advice and strategies.
Ranice identifies as a multiracial brown woman on a journey to thrive as: “100% of everything she is.” Ranice leads unapologetically, with an urgency to disrupt and dismantle racist and oppressive systems.
Q&A
A conversation with a friend and mentor of mine, also currently faculty with Prescott and in her PhD program via Prescott is what ultimately brought me to Prescott for my PhD journey! I began to feel intrigued and curious! Specifically with what “Sustainability Education” is and encompasses. This led me to a zoom meeting with Em, the Director of the PhD program who then had me convinced and sold after an amazing and thought provoking conversation! I had been pondering an EdD or PhD for a few years and had just began the journey of researching various programs and universities. I am so thankful I chose Prescott-truly!
I plan to focus on research that: addresses working to dismantle the disparities and inequities within our K-12 public education system; to truly close the achievement gap, particularly for our students of color and/or most marginalized students-
-Belonging/Beloved Community/Ubuntu
-Access to quality and targeted instruction and resources (MTSS model/tiered instruction and support)
-Sustainable and culturally responsive pedagogy
-Schools with an asset based mindset vs deficit model
-Research Questions:
Are all of the efforts to co-create, design, and implement a racial equity policy in school districts/education in response to a state charge to do so, due to the achievement gap (and discipline rates) disparities with students of color, work? Do all of these and our efforts work? To advance racial equity? To close the achievement gap? What are the results? After 10 years (for us in our local school district), is it sustainable? Are our teachers of color being retained? Why or why not?
I truly enjoy the heart and soul of this doctoral program the most. The fundamental beliefs that Prescott and specifically this program are grounded in. For example, tenets such as acknowledging place, positionality, privilege, and supremacy culture. Additionally, the belief in holding space for indigenous land/space, intersectionality, and honoring those that came before us particularly in the fight for social and racial justice, reconciliation, and civil rights.
My biggest challenge to date has been navigating the asynchronous component of this program while simultaneously wanting to engage with classmates/colleagues in this work in meaningful ways because it is all so rich, inviting, and thoughtful.
My career has primarily been in K-12 public education as a certificated K-8 Washington State teacher of 16 years. Most of my time was spent teaching kindergarten and first grade but for the past 4 years I have taught K-5 “Title/LAP” which is a reading intervention/specialist. I hold my National Board Certification and lead cohorts facilitating fellow educators pursuing their National Boards. I am a national board regional coordinator for OSPI (office of superintendent for public instruction) and have been involved in various teacher leadership positions and work. Equity work, mentoring new teachers, and co-facilitating our new state teacher evaluation framework via our union. Additionally, I have been an elected delegate for our state and nation wide union representative assembly. I earned my Master’s Degree in 2020 in Curriculum and Instruction. After earning my PhD, I hope to pursue higher education potentially, and get more involved with teacher preparation programs/training. I hope to fulfill a dream that’s been a long time in the making…to find a platform to seek and share knowledge collectively. To conquer imposter syndrome-never imagining that I would or could be a “Doctor” of anything, having never saw myself in this space or amongst my teachers or professors along the way in my educational journey.
Outside of school, I actually LOVE teaching and am always at “school” for my career as an educator. My students give me my energy and are my “why.” Aside from my teaching world-I enjoy frequenting farmer’s markets, coffee shops, and baking new gluten free treats. I also love playing the piano and listening to live music or going to a local jazz club. When it’s nice outside, I enjoy finding new trails to walk or beaches to place my feet in the sand and ground /earth myself-this is an important healing practice for me, being near water, trees, sand, the earth, with the sun kissing my skin…grounding myself. Earth’s medicine is so healing for me.
You CAN do it!!! Go for it, jump in, and see where the journey takes you. Stay committed to the process and be open to all you can learn and gain from it and from the collective perspectives and experiences of our fellow colleagues/classmates as well. You get to research what you LOVE and are passionate about and interested in-that is one of the biggest advantages for me!