Robert W. Simmons III

Assistant Professor
Teacher Education Department
Loyola University Maryland
School of Education
4501 N. Charles Street, BE121-2
Baltimore, Maryland 21210
410-617-5776
rwsimmons@loyola.edu 

Favorite Quote:
Did you hear about the rose that grew
from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet.
Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams,
it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete
when no one else ever cared.
-Tupac Shakur

Education
Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Doctor of Education, May 2007
    
Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, Michigan
Masters of Science Education, May 2001 
      
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Bachelors of Science, December 1997  
      
Courses
Graduate:
   • Education 611 The History of Education in the United States
   • Education 670 Teacher Research and Inquiry
   • Education 805 Capstone Seminar
Undergraduate:
   • Teacher Education 606 The Teaching of Science
   • Education 203 Elementary Mathematics Methods
   • Education 206 Elementary Mathematics Methods Lab
   • Education 430 Field Experience: Science

Bio
Robert W. Simmons III is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Loyola University Maryland, an associated faculty member of African and African American studies, and a member of the social justice collaborative Edchange. Robert’s K-12 teaching experiences include being a middle school science teacher and elementary teacher in the Detroit Public Schools. With additional teaching and administrative experiences in the Dominican Republic and Minnesota, and in the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program, Robert was nominated twice as the Walt Disney National Teacher of the Year and once for the Whitney and Elizabeth MacMillan Foundation Outstanding Educator Award. Robert has been a fellow with the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation and participated in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund. Robert is currently working as a co-PI on an NIH funded grant that focuses on the development and study of virtual science labs in secondary classrooms.

Selected Awards and Grants
Awards
I am Loyola Award, Loyola University Maryland, December 2010
Emerging Scholar in Service-Learning, University of Minnesota, June 2009
Academic Service-Learning Research and Scholarship Award, Eastern Michigan University, April 2009
Faculty of the Year, Graduate School of Education, Hamline University, May 2007
John Wesley Leadership and Service Award, Hamline University, May 2006

Grants
Simmons, R. (2011). The experiences of urban African American males at three Jesuit high schools. Summer Research Grant Program at Loyola University Maryland ($4,000). Role: Principal Investigator.

Simmons, R. (2010). Why did we decide to do this?: The journey of Black men who decide to become teachers in urban schools. Funded project through the Summer Research Grant program at Loyola University Maryland ($4,000), Summer 2010. Role: Principal Investigator.

 Anderson, D., Simmons, R, & Harland, D. (2008). The MIND project’s cutting edge health science initiative. Funded project from the National Institutes of Health ($1,301,730/6 years), (3/20/2006-2/28/2012). Role: Co-Principal Investigator.

Simmons, R. (2008). Building communities, building lives. Funded project from Michigan Campus Compact and Learn and Serve America ($64,000/2 year), (10/6/08-6/1/2010) Role: Project director

Simmons, R. (2008). Clarita park and the YMCA service-learning academy: A collaboration to save an urban green space. Funded project from Michigan Campus Compact ($2,288). Role: Project Director

Research Interests
Urban Education
African American male students and teachers
Science education in urban classrooms
The experiences of African American students, alumni, and parents at Jesuit high schools
K-12 service-learning

Recent Publications
Journal Articles (refereed)

Simmons, R., Carpenter, R., Ricks, J., Walker, D., Davis, M,. & Parks, M. (under review). African American male teachers and African American students: Working subversively through hip-hop and culturally relevant pedagogy.

Simmons, R., & Carpenter, R. (under review). University and urban community collaborations: Voices from the community.

Simmons, R. (under review). The complexity of the journey at a Jesuit high school: Using resilience theory and Critical Race Theory to craft a framework for success.

Carpenter, R., Hersi, A, & Simmons, R. (under review). From pedagogy to proof: Developing culturally relevant assessments.

Simmons, R. (2012). Don’t just talk about be about it: The role of narrative and activism as a Critical Race Theorist. PowerPlay: A Journal of Educational Justice, 4(1), 217-224.

Owens, D., Simmons, R., Bryant, R.M. & Henfield, M. (2011). Urban African American males' perceptions of school counseling services. Urban Education, 46(2), 165-177.

Simmons, R. (2010). Pursuing racial equity in our schools: Lessons learned from African American male teachers in a suburban school district. AILACTE Journal, 7(1), 33-47.

Simmons, R. (2009). The bumps along the way: The journey of novice service-learning practitioners in an urban school. Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 5, 65-73.

Chapters (Peer Reviewed in an Edited Book )

Simmons, R. (under review). Looking back on teaching in Detroit: Lessons learned from a middle school classroom. In R. Lake & T. Kress (Eds.). We Saved the Best for You: Letters of Hope, Imagination and Wisdom. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

Simmons, R. (under review). African American girls and science teaching and learning: Perspectives of teachers and students in Michigan. In E. Zamani-Gallaher & V. Polite (Eds.). The State of the African American Female in Michigan: A Courageous Conversation. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press.

Simmons, R, & Carpenter, R. (2011). Innovation in urban education: Two charter schools in Detroit lead the way. In L. Howell, C. Lewis, & N. Carter (Eds.) Yes We Can!: Improving Urban Schools Through Innovative Educational Reform. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Simmons, R. (2011). The empty desk in the third row: Experiences of an African American male teacher. In J. Landsman & C. Lewis (Eds.), White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms: Creating Inclusive Schools, Building on Students’ Diversity, and Providing True Educational Equity
(2nd ed.) (pp. 47-55). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishers.

Sledge, J., & Simmons, R. (2010). African American boys and the hip hop world. In S. Steinberg & M. Kehler (Eds.), Boy Culture: An Encyclopedia (pp.50-54). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Anderson, D, & Simmons, R. (2010). Coming out of the HIV/AIDS closet: Giving voice to the disparate impact of HIV/AIDS on African American men nationally and in Michigan. In E. Zamani-Gallaher & V. Polite (Eds.). The State of the African American Male in Michigan: A Courageous Conversation (pp. 165-188). East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press.

Simmons, R. (2006). The empty desk in the third row: Experiences of an African American male teacher. In J. Landsman & C. Lewis (Eds.), White Teachers/Diverse Classrooms: A Guide to Building Inclusive Schools, Promoting High Expectations, and Eliminating Racism (pp. 43-51). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishers.

Edited Volumes (Peer Reviewed) (Guest Editor)

Simmons, R. (2012). Narratives and counter narratives in urban school life. PowerPlay: A Journal of Educational Justice, 4(1), 1-269.

Guest editor introductory and epilogue articles (Peer Reviewed)

Simmons, R. (2012). In memoriam: Derrick Bell—1930-2011. PowerPlay: A Journal of Educational Justice, 4(1), 216.

Book Proposals (under review/in preparation)

Landsman, J., Grineski, S., & Simmons, R. (Eds.). (in progress). Going Deeper: Having Honest Conversations About Race. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing. (Book under contract).

Selected Professional Presentations

Simmons, R. (2012, April). Being who I am or who you want me to be: Racial identity development of African American males at a suburban Jesuit high school. Paper presented at 2011 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada).

Murrell, P., & Simmons, R. (2012, April). Educating African American males in the era of opportunity gaps. Panel discussion at the Fourth Annual National Summit of Great Teachers for Our City Schools National Summit: Increasing Student Achievement through Effective Teaching. Denver, CO.

Simmons, R. (2012, March). Academically Engaging Male Students of Color at Predominately White Institutions. Invited keynote at the Center for Faculty Excellence, McDaniel College. Westminster, MD.

Simmons, R. (2012, February). Maintaining Your Identity in Predominantly White Institutions. Invited presentation at The State of the Black College Student: Preparing for Tomorrow’s Challenges Today, Towson University. Towson, MD.

Simmons, R. (2012, February). Learning from K-12: Exposing Academic Achievement at Elite Jesuit High Schools. Invited presentation to the Washington Regional Taskforce at Loyola University Maryland. Baltimore, MD

Simmons, R. (2011, May). Your ‘A’ game in school won’t matter if you make bad choices: Understanding the impact of choices through the eyes of an incarcerated father and the Matrix. Invited keynote at the Minority Student Achievement Network Mini-conference. Ann Arbor, MI.

Murrell, P., & Simmons, R. (2011, April). Educating African American males in the era of opportunity gaps. Panel discussion at the Fourth Annual National Summit of Great Teachers for Our City Schools National Summit: Increasing Student Achievement through Effective Teaching. Denver, CO.

Simmons, R. (2011, April). And we too shall be men for others: The experiences of African American males from an urban community at a Jesuit high school. Paper presented at 2011 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

Simmons, R, & Carpenter, R. (2011, April). Teaching Is One-Tenth of the Job: Teaching in an Urban High School During Recessionary Times. Poster presentations at 2011 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA.

Simmons, R. (2011, April). Moving beyond the school to prison pipeline: Lessons learned from my research, the streets of Detroit, a Jesuit education, and my incarcerated father. Invited lecture at the Community-Wide Black Male Symposium at the University of Maryland College Park. College Park, MD.

Simmons, R. (2010, May). The bumps along the way: The journey of novice service-learning practitioners in an urban school. Paper presented at 2010 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.

Professional Activities/Society Memberships
American Education Research Association
Edchange
Critical Race Studies in Education Association