Lakia M. Scott, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Baylor University. Currently, Dr. Scott teaches sociocultural foundations courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. Scott has amassed over 15 years of combined experiences at the elementary, secondary, undergraduate and graduate teaching levels. She is a recognized scholar in the field of Urban Education, where she has a host of research publications, co-authored and co-edited books, book chapters, and educational evaluation reports.
Under the research trajectory of providing educational access, equity, and opportunity for traditionally minoritized student populations, Dr. Scott is most widely known for her creation and implementation of the Baylor Freedom Schools program, a summer literacy enrichment initiative in partnership with Waco ISD Transformation Zone Schools and Prosper Waco. In the three-year span of the program, elementary and middle school students were able to minimize summer learning loss and gain literacy skills in transition to their next grade levels, using culturally relevant and affirming pedagogies. She has published work on the success of the Baylor Freedom Schools program, and is currently working on a book to detail practical strategies and applications that can be implemented in traditional public school classrooms. In addition to her scholarship on the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School model, Dr. Scott also explores culturally responsive teaching training and teacher preparation, issues in diversity, and language differentiation. She is also well-known for her work in recapturing the historical and contemporary significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through a host of book publications.
Dr. Scott is a two-time HBCU alumnus, hailing from Texas Southern University (BA in Journalism, 2005) and Prairie View A&M University (MSEd in Curriculum and Instruction, 2009). She received her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (2014).
Teacher Education and Training
Urban Education
Urban Literacy
Multicultural Education
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Social Justice Curricula
Engaging in “Dangerous Discussions”: Fostering Cultural Competence through the Analysis of Depictions of College Life in Popular Films
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, assistant professor, published Engaging in “Dangerous Discussions”: Fostering Cultural Competence through the Analysis of Depictions of College Life in Popular Films in Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2019, with co-author(s) Dr. Elena M Venegas, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley, Karon LeCompte, associate professor, Mia Moody-Ramirez, professor, and Toby Zhu.
Examining the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Model on Middle School Students’ Reading Achievement
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, assistant professor, published Examining the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools Model on Middle School Students’ Reading Achievement in Journal of Multicultural Affairs, Vol. 5, Issue 2, p. 1-28, 2020, with co-author(s) Dr. Rachel Renbarger, Baylor University, and Yasmin Laird, Baylor University.
“Bodies are not commodities”: Examining the impact and influences of a social justice curriculum on anti-human trafficking awareness and advocacy
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, published “Bodies are not commodities”: Examining the impact and influences of a social justice curriculum on anti-human trafficking awareness and advocacy in Journal for Human Trafficking, p. 1-18, 2017, with co-author(s) Dr. Christina Crenshaw, Baylor University, and Elena Venegas, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Rap Music Literacy: Millennial Audience Reception to Lyrics Depicting Independent Women
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, published Rap Music Literacy: Millennial Audience Reception to Lyrics Depicting Independent Women in Journal of Media Literacy Education, Vol. 7, Issue 3, p. 54-72, 2016, with co-author(s) Dr. Mia Moody-Ramirez.
Freedom through reading: Examining the impact of adolescent literacy development through the CDF Freedom school model
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, presented Freedom through reading: Examining the impact of adolescent literacy development through the CDF Freedom school model at The 41st SERA Annual Meeting, held February 15, 2018, in New Orleans, LA.
She that holds the flame: Dreamkeepers as Ignition for preparing Urban educators
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, presented She that holds the flame: Dreamkeepers as Ignition for preparing Urban educators at The 41st SERA Annual Meeting, held February 14, 2018, in New Orleans, LA.
“They See Me as the Rich, White, Lady”: Othering Perceptions in the Urban Literacy Classroom
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, and E. Venegas, presented “They See Me as the Rich, White, Lady”: Othering Perceptions in the Urban Literacy Classroom at The 57th Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, held May 1, 2017, in San Antonio, TX.
Feeding the PhD Pipeline: Understanding the Role of Mentorship, Networking, and Social Capital at HBCUs
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, and Dr. D. Preston, doctoral student, presented Feeding the PhD Pipeline: Understanding the Role of Mentorship, Networking, and Social Capital at HBCUs at The 57th Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, held 04/27/2017, in San Antonio, TX.
“iEngage” Freedom School: Affirming Community Cultural Wealth through Advocacy and Action
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, Dr. K. N. LeCompte, and B. Blevins, presented “iEngage” Freedom School: Affirming Community Cultural Wealth through Advocacy and Action at The 57th Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, held 04/29/2017, in San Antonio, TX.
Best Paper in Session Award
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, received Best Paper in Session Award from 2012 Orlando International Academic Conference, 2012.
Faculty Research Fellow, Institute for Oral History
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, received Faculty Research Fellow, Institute for Oral History from Baylor University, 2015.
Top Faculty Paper, Entertainment Studies Division
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, received Top Faculty Paper, Entertainment Studies Division from Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 2015.
Armstrong Browning Library Teaching Fellow
Dr. Lakia M. Scott, received Armstrong Browning Library Teaching Fellow from Baylor University, 2016.
Voices from the Field: Success Stories from Urban Elementary Literacy Educators in Greater Waco Public Schools
Dr. Lakia M. Scott; $4,385.00; Voices from the Field: Success Stories from Urban Elementary Literacy Educators in Greater Waco Public Schools.
University Teaching Development Grant for Exploration in Costa Rica
Dr. Lakia M. Scott; $1,500.00; University Teaching Development Grant for Exploration in Costa Rica.
Examining the Use of Graphic Organizers for Young Readers in Ghana
Dr. Lakia M. Scott; $7,500.00; Examining the Use of Graphic Organizers for Young Readers in Ghana; Baylor University Missions.
CDF Freedom Schools at Baylor University: School Year Component
Dr. Lakia M. Scott; $9,800.00; CDF Freedom Schools at Baylor University: School Year Component; Jack and Jill Foundation.