She is a former early childhood teacher and preschool director. She received her Ph.D. from Indiana University in 2013. She has been active in the fight to stop the corporate takeover of public education since 2011. She is a board member for the Badass Teachers Association, Inc., and United Opt Out National. Recently she has joined the Advisory Board of Defending the Early Years. Her research interests include the de-professionalization of teaching, improving assessment and evaluation of early childhood teachers, culturally relevant teaching, and youth civic engagement. In 2015 she was the recipient of the Bammy Award for College Professor of the Year from the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences.