CoCo Massengale
Tagline:Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences | Literacy and Black Studies Scholar
Logan, UT, USA
Bio
Dr. Massengale believes curiosity and compassion are the foundations of rigorous research. Her research explores the racialization of literacy and sits at the intersection of literacy studies, the history of education, and Black Studies. Her work has been funded by various research bodies and institutions, including Stanford University’s Vice Provost for Graduate Education, the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation, and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
Dr. Massengale received her doctorate from Stanford University in the Graduate School of Education’s program in Race, Inequality, and Language in Education, with a minor in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. She spent 10 years as an educational researcher at a not-for-profit organization before returning to pursue a doctorate. When she’s not reading, writing, or teaching, you can find her spectating women’s sports, hiking, or hanging out with her beloved dog Junior.
Dr. Massengale is currently accepting doctoral students. She welcomes students who are curious, collaborative, and committed to educational equity. She is especially excited to work with students interested in Black literacies (broadly defined), histories of schooling, and critical approaches to learning and technology. Whether their interests are archival, ethnographic, or design-based, she invites students to bring their full selves to the work. She values co-creation, care, and intellectual risk-taking, and is eager to support students in pursuing research that matters to them and the communities they care about.
Education
Doctor of Philosophy
from: 2019, until: 2025Field of study:EducationSchool:Stanford UniversityLocation:Stanford, CA
Master's in Professional Studies
from: 2011, until: 2013Field of study:PublishingSchool:George Washington UniversityLocation:Washington, DC
Bachelor of Arts
from: 2005, until: 2009Field of study:SociologySchool:Stanford UniversityLocation:Stanford, CA
Research Interests
- Literacy Studies
- Black Studies
- Sociocultural Theory
- History of Education
Publications
Inextricably bound: Racialized Blackness and (il)literacy in the United States’ imaginary
Book ChapterPublisher:Peter LangDate:2024Authors:CoCo MasengaleDescription:Massengale, C. Inextricably bound: Racialized Blackness and (il)literacy in the United States’ imaginary. In Boda, P. (Ed.). Educational injustice among margins and centers: Theorizing critical futures (pp. 77-96). Peter Lang.
Translanguaging and racialized multilingual children: Envisioning dual language education for working-class students of color.
Book ChapterPublisher:Multilingual Matters.Date:2024Authors:Ramón Antonio MartínezCoCo MassengaleDescription:Martínez, R.A. & Massengale, C… Translanguaging and racialized multilingual children: Envisioning dual language education for working-class students of color. In Freire, J., Menken, K.L., & Delavan, M.G. (Eds.). Overcoming the Gentrification of Dual Language, Bilingual, and Immersion Education: Solutions-Oriented Research and Stakeholder Resources for Real Integration (pp. 129-144). Multilingual Matters.
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
DownloadTalks
Self-directed learning as self-determination: A textual analysis of learning in narratives from formerly enslaved people.
Date: Sep 2025
Event name: Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History .Location: Atlanta, GA .
Toward ethnographic fabulation as a theory and method for the analysis of historical and contemporary Black literacy practices.
Date: Apr 2025
Event name: American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting .Location: Denver, CO .
Translanguaging and racialized multilingual children: Envisioning dual language education for working-class students of color
Date: Apr 2024
Event name: American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting .Location: Philadelphia, PA .
‘Where our Forefathers Come From’: An Archival and Ethnographic Study of Black American Storytelling about Africa.
Date: Apr 2024
Event name: American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting .Location: Philadelphia, PA .
Literacies for Liberation: An Archival and Ethnographic Study of Black Literate Lives Through Time.
Date: Dec 2023
Event name: Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting .Location: Atlanta, GA. .
Inextricably bound: Racialized Blackness and (il)literacy in the United States’ imaginary.
Date: Dec 2022
Event name: Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting .Location: Phoenix, AZ .
The Past as a Portal to the Future: Lessons in Literacy Learning from Formerly Enslaved People.
Date: Feb 2022
Event name: National Council of Teachers of English Assembly for Research Annual Meeting .Location: Virtual .
Self-Directed Learning as Self-Determination: Lessons in Literacy Learning from Formerly Enslaved People.
Date: Nov 2021
Event name: Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting .Location: Atlanta, GA .