Project Team

Dr. Samantha A. Marshall, Principal Investigator

Dr. Marshall is an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences (TELS) at North Carolina State University. A first-generation college graduate, she received her B.S.E. in mathematics from Oklahoma Christian University, her M.A. from Columbia University, and her Ph.D. in Learning, Teaching & Diversity from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Marshall’s work lies at the intersection of teacher learning, justice-oriented mathematics education, and learning sciences. Motivated by the need to support teachers in learning anti-oppressive forms of education, her work seeks to design, investigate, and refine supports for teachers’ learning. Dr. Marshall’s research projects have spanned questions of teachers’ learning through professional development, how teachers’ learning is shaped by enactment in context, as well as how STEM teachers learn ambitious, asset-based, and culturally sustaining pedagogies. Drawing on sociocultural and sociopolitical theories, she uses ethnographic methods of data collection as well as critical discourse and interaction analysis methods to understand learning in context.

Hajra Fayyaz, Research Assistant

Hajra Fayyaz is a first-year PhD student in the Educational Equity program at North Carolina State University. She holds a Master’s in International Education Policy and Management from Vanderbilt University, where she was awarded the Outstanding Achievement and Professional Promise award. A former Teach For Pakistan fellow and Fulbright Scholar, Hajra’s research interests center on multilingual education, culturally responsive pedagogy, and fostering inclusion and belonging in diverse learning environments. Through her work, Hajra seeks to bridge research and practice, exploring how teachers navigate linguistic diversity and create equitable learning opportunities for multilingual students.