Jenn Ayscue, an assistant professor in the NC State College of Education, has been named a 2023-24 University Faculty Scholar.
The University Faculty Scholars program recognizes early- and mid-career faculty who have made outstanding academic achievements and contributions to NC State through their teaching, scholarship and service.
“I am very honored to be named a University Faculty Scholar. There are many excellent scholars at NC State so to receive this recognition from the university for my work is extremely rewarding to me,” Ayscue said. “I believe that it is important for me to contribute to my field, to the mission of the university and to society more broadly. To receive a recognition that suggests that my work is moving toward those goals is very affirming.”
Ayscue’s scholarly work focuses on integration in K-12 schools and federal education policy with a specific focus on trends, policies and practices that facilitate or constrain desegregation and integration efforts.
In her career, Ayscue said she is proud that her work has not only had an impact academically, but in public policy. Research she has collaborated on has been cited by all three branches of the federal government, including, most recently, by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
To commemorate the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision – which held that segregated education was “inherently unequal” and created irreversible harm to segregated students – Ayscue is editing a book that reconceptualizes what integration is and can be going forward. Additionally, in connection with that anniversary, she is working with doctoral students on a report that analyzes trends in school desegregation across North Carolina.
She is also currently conducting a study of the extent to which two-way dual language immersion programs facilitate desegregation for students from different racial, socioeconomic and linguistic backgrounds in North Carolina as well as a study into parents’ perceptions of magnet programs and beliefs about how well those schools fulfill the goal of facilitating integration.
“Consistent with my previous research, my current research examines numerous ways of facilitating racial, socioeconomic, and linguistic desegregation and integration in schools. My goal is to conduct research that contributes to creating a more just and equitable education system through integrated schools,” she said.
In addition to her research, Ayscue is also proud of the impact she has made through teaching, collaborating with and supporting students in the College of Education. These are elements, Ayscue said, that were crucial to her in achieving her own academic success.
“I am very grateful for this recognition [as a University Faculty Scholar], and I know that I did not get to this point in my career alone. Many people have encouraged me, supported me, and provided me with opportunities to learn and grow. I am extremely appreciative of each and every one of them,” she said. “I hope that as I continue in my career, I may be able to provide similar support and encouragement to others.”
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