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Dr. Michelle Salazar Perez

Professor

University of North Texas

Department of Teacher Education and Administration

Email: Michelle.Perez@unt.edu

Education

  • PhD, Arizona State University, 2009
    Major: Curriculum and Instruction
    Dissertation: Discourses Of Power Surrounding Young Children, Charters Schools, and Public Education in New Orleans Post-Katrina

Teaching

Teaching Experience

    University of North Texas

  • EDEC 3750 - Young Children in Schools, Families and Communities, 4 courses.
  • EDEC 5613 - Curriculum Theory in Early Childhood Education, 2 courses.
  • EDEC 6533 - Current Readings and Research in Early Childhood Studies, 1 course.
  • EDEC 6800 - Special Topics in Early Childhood Studies, 5 courses.
  • EDEC 6910 - Special Problems, 3 courses.
  • EDEC 6950 - Doctoral Dissertation, 2 courses.

Awards and Honors

  • Nominated for Outstanding Alumni Award, Texas A&M University. (2024).
  • 2023 Routledge Poster Prize Winner (Co-authored with UNT doctoral students), European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry. (2023).
  • Advanced Methods Institute, Pre-Institute Invited Fellow: Advanced Methods Institute: https://advancedmethodsinstitute.ehe.osu.edu/ I was an invited fellow (of about 12) for a pre-meeting, June 5-7, 2023, held prior to AMI., Sponsored by The Ohio State University College of Education & Human Ecology’s QualLab. (2023).
  • Invited Scholar: Invited Scholar to the Early Childhood Education and Equity Convening, September 22-23, 2022, Chicago, Co-Hosted by The Spencer Foundation and Erikson Institute., Spencer Foundation.

Research

Published Intellectual Contributions

    Book Chapter

  • Perez, M. (2024). Theories in the flesh and qualitative methodologies (pp. 63-70).. In R. McMillian & P.A. Pasque (Eds.). Advancing qualitative inquiry toward methodological inclusion. Routledge.
  • Ruiz Gerrero, M.G., Perez, M.S. (2023). Snack time: The “both/and” of an in-between praxis (pp. 34-45). In C. Y. Myers, K. Smith, M. Tesar, & R. L. Hostler (Eds.), Reframing the Everyday in Early Childhood Pedagogy Conceptualising the Mundane.. Routledge.
  • Odim, N., Rideaux, K., Perez, M.S. (2022). Womanist praxis in early childhood education and care: Educators’ nourishment of mind-body-spirit relations (pp. 99-113). In R. Langford & B. Richardson (Eds.), The early childhood educator: Critical conversations in feminist theory. Bloomsbury..
  • Shelby-Caffey, C., Abril-Gonzalez, P., Perez, M.S. (2022). Excavating the methodological terrains of life writing: How and why we engage in re-memberings of Black and Chicana/Latina lived experiences. In L. E. Bailey & K. Hinton (Eds.), Racial dimensions of life writing research (pp. 83-106). Information Age Publishing..

    • Book Foreword

  • Perez, M.S. (2023). Foreword for Han, S., Kim, J., Meacham, S., & Wee, S. (2023). Supporting Korean American children in early childhood education: Perspectives from mother-educators. Teachers College Press..

    • Handbook

  • Hughes, C., Taylor, C., Perez, M.S., Ulmer, J. (2024). The Routledge International Handbook of Transdisciplinary Feminist Research and Methodological Praxis. Routledge..

    • Handbook Chapter

  • Nxumalo, F., Perez, M.S., Barces, A., Castillo, J., Doherty, M.J., Holmes, Z., Nah, J., Phillips, I. (2024). Insights on feminist transdisciplinarity and Dr. Fikile Nxumalo’s ‘Decolonizing place in early childhood education (pp. 350-355).. In J. B. Ulmer, C, Hughes, M.S. Perez, & C.A. Taylor (Eds.), The Routledge international handbook of transdisciplinary feminist research and methodological praxis. Routledge.

    • Journal Article

  • Lopez, A., Finno-Velasquez, M., Mendoza, V., Corkill, M., Perez, M.S. (2024). (Online First) Community leaders’ perspectives on the unique service barriers and facilitators among immigrant families with young children in the rural U.S./Mexico border region. Families in Society.
  • Abril-Gonzalez, P., Harmon, F., Perez, M.S. (2024). Collective dreaming as conduits to enact just futures in childhood/s education and care. Global Studies of Childhood. 14 (3) 294-305.
  • Harmon, F., Perez, M.S. (2024). (Online First) Transforming the legacy of colonial and racialized inequities in childcare systems in the U.S.: (Re)framing futures through Black feminist thought. American Behavioral Scientist.
  • Barces, A., Carela, B.M., Castillo, J., Perez, M.S., Ruiz Gonzalez, M., Ruiz Guerrero, M. (2022). Enactments of scholarly generosity: Reflexiones on the intersection of our selves, the work of Beth Swadener, and childhood/s futures. International Critical Childhood Policy Studies Journal. 9 (1) 49-56.
  • Perez, M.S., Saavedra, C.M., Jones, N.N., Abril-Gonzalez, P. (2022). Women of color feminisms as a vehicle for racially-just methodologies in educational research. International Journal of Research & Method in Education. 45 (4) 323-329.

Presentations Given

    Invited Talk

  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), 2023 Advanced Methods Institute, Qualitative Research toward Innovation, Equity, & Justice, Theories in the flesh and qualitative methodologies: Ontological-epistemological-axiological provocations, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Dialogue Series: Questioning Histories and Practices in/of (Early) Childhood, Foregrounding women of color feminisms in early childhood studies: Transformative possibilities for research and praxis, California State University, Los Angeles, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), AERA, Division K Vice Presidential Session, Starting early: Transforming early childhood teaching and teacher education, AERA, Chicago, IL, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).

    • Oral Presentation

  • Kim, K. (Presenter), Perez, M. (Presenter), Texas Association for the Education of Young Children Conference, Creating Family-Friendly Community Asset Maps for Diverse Learners!, Texas Association for the Education of Young Children, Frisco, Texas, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Phillips, I. (Author & Presenter), Nah, J. (Author & Presenter), Holmes, Z. (Author & Presenter), Doherty, M.J. (Author & Presenter), Castillo, J. (Author & Presenter), Barces, A. (Author & Presenter), Perez, M. (Author & Presenter), European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Engaging with Dr. Fikile Nxumalo’s ‘Decolonizing place in early childhood education’ to inspire new imaginaries for qualitative inquiry: Dialogic wanderings about (post) anthropocenic futures., United Kingdom. (2022 - 2022).

    • Other

  • Harmon, F. (Author & Presenter), Perez, M. (Author), American Educational Research Association, Transforming the legacy of colonial and racialized inequities in childcare systems in the U.S.: (Re)framing futures through Black feminist thought, Denver, United States of America. (2025 - 2025).
  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), AERA, Discussant for the symposium Early childhood education spaces: (Un)Truths revealed, future directions imagined, AERA, Chicago, IL, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).

    • Panel Presentation

  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), the 22nd Annual Local to Global Justice Conference, Energizing scholar activism: An interdisciplinary dialogue, ASU, Tempe, AZ; in person conference, but I presented my paper virtually, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
  • Perez, M. (Author & Presenter), American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Beyond the basics: Exploring research and scholarship that elevates Black, Indigenous, and People of Color voices and experience., United States of America. (2022 - 2022).

    • Paper

  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Holmes, Z. (Author & Presenter), Nah, J. (Author & Presenter), Phillips, I. (Author & Presenter), Doherty, M.J. (Author & Presenter), Castillo, J. (Author & Presenter), Barces, A. (Author & Presenter), AERA, Participatory for whom? Contemplations on the researcher/participant dynamic in participatory research, AERA, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Shelby-Caffey, C. (Author & Presenter), Abril-Gonzalez, P. (Author & Presenter), Perez, M. (Author & Presenter), American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Excavating the methodological terrains of life writing: How and why we engage in re-memberings of Black and Chicana/Latina lived experiences., United States of America. (2022 - 2022).
  • Philliips, I. (Author & Presenter), Perez, M. (Author), American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Inspiring anti-racist Montessori early childhood education through Black feminisms., United States of America. (2022 - 2022).
  • Lopez, A. (Author & Presenter), Mendoza, V. (Author), Corkill, M. (Author), Perez, M.S. (Author), Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, The impact of U.S. immigration enforcement policies, rurality, and militarization on immigrant families' access to services in a border community: A qualitative study., United States of America. (2022 - 2022).

    • Poster

  • Harmon, F.J. (Author), Young, J. (Author & Presenter), Viruru, R. (Author & Presenter), Perez, M. (Author), National Association of Multicultural Education, Shining a light on early childhood and multicultural education: Illuminating early childhood teacher inequities through research, awareness, and advocacy., United States of America. (2022 - 2022).

    • Symposium

  • Perez, M. (Author & Presenter), & Collaborators (Author & Presenter), Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education conference, Chicago, IL., “We are stronger together”: RECE, mycelial networks, and social justice. This session (which I co-led), was co-presented with over 20 colleagues and students from UNT and beyond., United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Perez, M. (Author & Presenter), Jones, N. (Author & Presenter), Cheruvu, R. (Author & Presenter), Kim, K. (Author & Presenter), Holmes, Z. (Author & Presenter), Doherty, M.J. (Author & Presenter), Barces, A. (Author & Presenter), Castillo, J. (Author & Presenter), et, a. (Author & Presenter), Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education (RECE) conference, We are stronger together, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. (2024 - 2024).
  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), The 29th international Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education conference, Enacting transformative praxis in childhood studies with theories in the flesh: Collective insights for actualizing just futures for the global majority, Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education, United Kingdom. (2023 - 2023).
  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Harmon, F. (Author & Presenter), AERA, A critical and women of color feminist analysis of childcare in the U.S., AERA, Chicago, IL, United States of America. (2023 - 2023).
  • Perez, M.S. (Author & Presenter), Saavedra, C.M. (Author), European Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Feminisms and the posts 1: Re/orientations, re-thinkings and response-abilities., United Kingdom. (2022 - 2022).

Contracts, Grants, Sponsored Research

    Grant - Research

  • Nxumalo, F. (Principal), Skerrett, M. (Co-Principal), Perez, M.S. (Co-Principal), "Vision Grant: Enacting Sustainable Futures in Early Childhood Education: Transforming Educational Systems in Relation with Living Lands, Waters, and Languages Across Global Contexts," sponsored by Spencer Foundation. *Being awarded the Vision Grant was a selective process. This was the first step to be eligible to apply for the Spencer Transformative Research Grant program, which our team plans to submit a proposal for in 2025, for 3.4 million. I will be PI on the proposal, and there will be about 20 teams in competition for this award., Other, $75000 Funded. (2023 - 2024).

Service

University Service

  • Faculty Mentor, Faculty Mentor Program for 2 TT Faculty. (August 2024 - Present).
  • Chairperson, Bilingual Education Search Committee. (June 1, 2024 - Present).
  • Other (Co-Organizer), Recruitment Planning and Organizing/Participating in Recruitment Events. (January 2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Grievance Committee. (August 2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Student Affairs Committee. (August 2023 - Present).
  • Other (Supporting Role for CYC Director), CYC Partner. (2023 - Present).
  • Committee Member, PAC. (August 2022 - Present).
  • Guest Speaker, COE T&P Workshop. (2024).
  • Guest Speaker, Dr. Karisma Morton’s doctoral-level seminar on Culture, Identity, and Education. (2024 - 2024).
  • Guest Speaker, Workshop: Developing Broader Impacts for HSI & MSI Universities, 2.0. Sponsored by the UNT Office of Research and Innovation. (2024).
  • Other (Organizer and Host), Schmidt Speaker Series and Hosting Visiting Scholars. (2023 - 2024).
  • Program Organizer, Schmidt Sponsored Event. (2023 - 2024).
  • Faculty Mentor, ECJColab. (September 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Program Coordinator, ECE Doctoral Program Coordinator. (May 15, 2022 - December 2024).
  • Program Coordinator, ECE Program Area Coordinator. (May 15, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Member, Graduate C&I and ECS Programs Committee. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Guest Speaker, COE Graduate Student Organization. (November 18, 2024 - November 18, 2024).
  • Chairperson, TEA PAC. (August 2023 - May 2024).
  • Chairperson, TEA RPT. (August 2023 - May 2024).
  • Other (Reviewer), TEA Master's Exams. (February 21, 2022 - March 1, 2024).
  • Guest Speaker, T&P Workshop. (2023 - 2023).
  • Committee Chair, Search Committee Chair, Assistant Professor in ECE position. (September 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023).
  • Other (Peer Observer), Peer Observations. (December 1, 2022 - December 1, 2023).
  • Committee Member, CYC Director Search Committee. (July 2023 - August 2023).
  • Co-Chair, TEA PAC. (January 2023 - May 2023).
  • Program Coordinator, ECE MS Advisor and Coordinator, ECE M.Ed. Concentration Advisor. (May 15, 2022 - April 2023).
  • Guest Speaker, Dr. Tran Templeton’s doctoral-level seminar on Early Childhood Studies. (2022 - 2022).
  • Member, COE RPT. (November 1, 2022 - December 15, 2022).
  • Guest Speaker, TEA GA Meetings. (November 14, 2022 - November 14, 2022).
  • Student Recruiter, Graduate School Preview, Recruitment Day. (November 12, 2022 - November 12, 2022).
  • Committee Member, Expanding Teacher Preparation Opportunities. (September 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022).
  • Attendee, Meeting, EC-6 Teacher Education Program Meetings. (January 1, 2022 - October 1, 2022).
  • Committee Member, CYC Director Search Committee. (July 1, 2022 - August 15, 2022).
  • Co-Chair, BranchEd Co-Organizer for Critical Friends Visit. (February 1, 2022 - May 1, 2022).
  • Committee Member, TEA PAC. (February 1, 2022 - April 1, 2022).
  • Committee Member, TEA RPT. (February 1, 2022 - April 1, 2022).

Public Service

  • Guest Speaker, Voices United: Robson Ranch. Denton, TX. (April 6, 2024 - April 6, 2024).
  • Other (Provided statement), Ft. Worth Star Telegram. (2023 - 2023).

Professional Service

  • Editorial Review Board Member, Reconceptualizing Educational Research Methodology Journal. (2024 - Present).
  • Committee Member, Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education (RECE). (2024 - 2024).
  • Reviewer, Grant Proposal, Spencer Foundation. (2024 - 2024).
  • Guest Speaker, University of Melbourne, Australia. (2024 - 2024).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood. Australia, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Early Childhood Research Quarterly. US, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, International Journal of Early Years Education. UK, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Journal of Childhood Studies. Canada, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Mentor, National and Global. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Committee Member, RECE Finance Committee. RECE, International, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Board of Advisors, Straus Center for Young Children & Families, Bank Street, NY, NY. New York City, NY. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Teachers College Press Early Childhood Education Book Series. New York, NY. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Other (Letter Writer/External Reviews), Various Organizations. n/a, n/a. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2024).
  • Committee Member, AERA, CPECE SIG, Distinguished Career Award Committee. N/A, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - December 1, 2024).
  • Other (UNT hosting for Webinar Series), Reconceptualizing Early Childhood Education (RECE). RECE, International, N/A. (August 1, 2022 - May 2024).
  • Chairperson, AERA Division K, Teaching & Teacher Education Co-Chair, Pre-Conference Mid-Career Scholar Institute. AERA, Div K, N/A. (November 1, 2023 - April 2024).
  • Workshop Organizer, TWU. (April 2023 - April 2024).
  • Reviewer, Ad Hoc Reviewer, Ad Hoc & Editorial Board Reviewer for Various Journals and Book Series. (January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2023).
  • Other (Reviewed Book and Provided Back Cover Endorsement), Teachers College Press. (2023 - 2023).
  • Other (External Reviewer for Ph.D. Thesis), University of Melbourne. (2023 - 2023).
  • Editorial Review Board Member, Review of Educational Research. US, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023).
  • Mentor, Foundation for Child Development, Young Scholars Program. Denton, Texas. (August 1, 2022 - October 1, 2023).
  • Reviewer, Conference Paper, AERA CPECE SIG Conference Proposal Reviewer. (August 2023 - August 2023).
  • Other (Visiting Scholar), University of Melbourne. (March 13, 2023 - March 16, 2023).
  • Reviewer, Conference Paper, AERA Div K Proposal Reviewer, Section 03: Teachers’ Lives, Identities, and Journeys,. AERA, Div K, N/A. (August 1, 2022 - August 1, 2022).
  • Reviewer, Conference Paper, AERA Section 9: Transformation in Teacher Education Policies, Research, and Practices. AERA, Div K, N/A. (August 1, 2022 - August 1, 2022).
  • Mentor, AERA, CPECE SIG, Scholars of Color Mentorship Program. AERA, CPECE SIG, N/A. (January 1, 2022 - May 1, 2022).