Kabba Colley

Professor

617.349.8938

Kabba E. Colley is a Professor in the Ph.D. in Educational Studies Program in the Graduate School of Education at Lesley University. His rich professional experience includes high school science teaching, curriculum development, teacher education, program evaluation, education research, and higher education administration.

Prior to joining the faculty at Lesley University, he served as academic dean and department chair at various higher education institutions. In addition, he held research positions at TERC Inc., The Northeast Regional Educational Laboratory and The National Center for Improving Science Education. He is an experienced program evaluator and has evaluated nationally recognized science and mathematics education projects funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education.

His most recent service to the academic community includes serving on the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Research and Dissemination Committee, the International Advisory Board of the National Science Teachers Association and reviewer for The Science Teacher, Cultural Studies of Science Education and American Journal of Evaluation.

Kabba’s research interests focus on project-based science instruction, gender issues in science education, international education, and recruitment and retention of Black and Latino male teachers. He has authored two books, namely Resilience and success: The professional journeys of African American women scientists (co-authored with Dr. Binta M. Colley) (2013) and Purposeful engagement in science learning: The project-based approach (2016), Peter Lang Publishers, New York, NY.

He considers himself a “data head” and is currently studying and exploring possible applications of data science in education to inform policy and practice at the state level. He is a recipient of the US Department of Education Fulbright-Hays Group Research Projects Abroad Award in 2017.

Education

EdD, Harvard University
Ed.M., Harvard University
MPS, Cornell University
BS, Purdue University

Selected Publications

Colley, K. E. & Lassman, K. A. (2021). Urban secondary science teachers and special education students: A theoretical framework for preparing science teachers to meet the needs of all students. Insights into Learning Disabilities, 18(2), 159-186.
Colley, K. E. (2017). Science education in The Gambia: An optimistic model. In Otulaja, F. S. and Ogunniyi, M. B. (Eds.), Handbook of Research in Science Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, The World of Science Education Volume 6, Cultural and Historical Perspectives on Science Education Series. Boston, MA: Sense Publishers.
Colley, K. E., Alford, J. E., Fuentes, D., & Bundy, A. (2017). How does network improvement science (NIS) impact the recruitment and retention of Black and Latino male teachers? Northeast Educational Research Association Conference Proceedings 2017.16. (http://opencommons.uconn.edu/nera-2017/16).
Colley, K. E. (2016). Purposeful engagement in science learning: The project-based approach. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishers.
Fuentes, D., Colley, K. E. & Leathers, S. L. (2016, March, 29). Becoming ‘NIC Mindful’: The local impact of working in a Networked Improvement Community [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://edprepmatters.net/2016/03/becoming-nic-mindful-the-local-impact-…
Colley, K. E. (2015). Courageous pedagogy [Review of the book Courageous pedagogy: Enacting critical science education by Andrew Gilbert]. Teachers College Records, http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 17923.
Colley, K. E. (2014). Teacher education in Anglophone West Africa: Does policy match practice? In Wiseman, A. W and Anderson, E. (Eds.), Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2014, Volume 25, International Perspectives on Education and Society Series. London, United Kingdom: Emerald Publishing.
Colley, K. E. & Colley. B. M. (2013). Resilience and success: The professional journeys of African American women scientists. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishers.
Colley, K. E. & Pitts, Jr., W. B. (2010). Project-based after-school science in New York City. In Yager, R. (Ed.), Exemplary for resolving societal challenges (pp. 19-31). Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.

Selected Presentations

Colley, K. E. & Russell, D. V. (2021). Standing on ancestral soil: Investigating the agroecological communities and cultural narratives of the SeneGambia: A paper presented at the annual conference of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), held virtually, April 8-12, 2021.
Colley, K. E. (2019). How might a decolonized teacher education and training in Africa look like? A paper presented at the 63^rd annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society held in San Francisco, CA, April 14-18, 2019.
Colley, K. E. (2018). Learning cross-cutting science concepts through agroecology in SeneGambia. A paper presented at the Northeast Association for Science Teacher Education Regional Conference, held at the University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, October 11-12, 2018.
Colley, K. E. (2017). What does research say about science teacher preparation in Anglophone West Africa? A paper presented at the 61^st annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society held in Atlanta, GA, March 5-10, 2017.
Colley, K. E., Hutchison, C. B., & Park, D. (2017). Inequality across pedagogical border: Shared experiences from international science teacher educators. A paper presented at the 61^st annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society held in Atlanta, GA, March 5-10, 2017.
Colley, K. E., Fuentes, D., Leathers, L., McGinn, K., Pittman, A., Polirstok, S. & Urgolo-Huckvale, M. (2016). Pathways and persistence: Three universities look across programs and talk with their graduates to explore teachers' 'Persistence Narratives' in urban schools. A paper presented at the 58^th annual conference of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education held in Las Vegas, NV, February 21-25, 2016.
Colley, K. E. (2015). Student teaching and clinical experience in teacher preparation programs in Anglophone West Africa. A paper presented at the 59^th annual conference of the Comparative and International Education Society held in Washington, DC, March 8-13, 2015.
Colley, K. E. (2013). Biology performance and school climate in the Garden State. A paper presented at the annual conference of the Northeast Association for Science Teacher Educators held in Black Rock Forest, Cornwall, NY, October 17, 2013.