College of Education & Human Development doctoral student Quintin Bostic is one of two students across the country chosen for the National Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Emerging Professional Development Schools (PDS) Leaders Award.
This annual award is given in recognition of students’ service to the association, presentations made at the NAPDS annual conference and contributions to their local school-university partnerships and networks.
With a vast amount of experience as a language and literacy content developer, diversity and inclusion specialist and public speaker, Bostic has built a reputable career in the field of early childhood and elementary education. He has supported and trained large-scale agencies through various in-person and eLearning systems, managed large-scale research projects that directly impact the local community, overseen qualitative and quantitative data and implemented strategic plans in a variety of settings for company growth.
“I believe professional development schools are important not only because they prepare teachers for the classroom, but because they also teach teachers the importance of inspiring children to reach their dreams,” Bostic said. “Without professional development schools, aspiring teachers will not have the opportunity to engage in critical conversation and skill development to prepare them to engage in globally-diverse and constantly changing classrooms.”
He currently serves as partnership manager for the Teaching Lab and a doctoral student in the CEHD’s Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education. He focuses his research on how ideas of race, racism and power are communicated through the text and visual imagery in children’s picture books. Bostic was a keynote speaker for the 2017 Miss Nigeria Pageant Education Week, a 2018 recipient of the Bonnie Campbell Hill National Literacy Leader Award and was named one of Georgia State University’s 40 Under 40 recipients in 2019. Most recently, he was appointed co-chair of the NAPDS Anti-Racism Committee.
“Knowing that my work in education, specifically surrounding equity, inclusion, diversity, social justice and anti-racism has been recognized on a national level brought tears to my eyes,” Bostic said about receiving the award. “Right after I won the award, I called my mom and cried tears of happiness. She reminded me that this award and the work that I do are not simply a speck in the universe, but all part of something bigger – building a better tomorrow for generations of children to come.”
NAPDS is the pre-eminent national organization supporting the critical linkage between higher education and public schools in the clinical preparation of teachers. The association seeks to advance the education profession by sustaining PDS partnerships as learning communities in support of improved student learning, teacher preparation, reciprocal professional development and shared inquiry. For more information, visit https://napds.org.