Boyd '26 collaborated with teaching faculty at Elon and UNC Wilmington to present their research study on the counter-narratives of Brown v. Board of Education at the 2025 NC Council for the Social Studies Annual Meeting.
Mary Boyd ’26, a secondary English major with teacher licensure (9-12) presented her undergraduate research work at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Annual Meeting in April. The session, titled “Beyond Brown v. Board: Exploring the Wilmington 10 through Primary Sources,” was designed for classroom teachers and district specialists in social studies and English language arts.
Boyd worked closely with Lisa Buchanan, associate professor of education in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, and three faculty at UNC Wilmington, Cara Ward, Donyell Roseboro and Denise Ousley-Exum, to design and launch a research study with undergraduate teacher candidates focused on the Wilmington 10 and the closing of Williston High School. Boyd was instrumental to the study’s design and launch, providing support with developing the data collection instruments and securing primary sources and supplementary materials for the inquiry teacher candidates.
“Our team was honored to invite Mary to join in this ongoing work of interdisciplinary teaching through our most recent collaboration on Brown v. Board of Education,” said Buchanan. “Mary provided valuable feedback on our instrument design and pilot, and brought important insight as an undergraduate researcher. The best part of this collaboration was observing her present with confidence and expertise at the state conference.”
When asked about the connection between her undergraduate research work and her future career as a high school English teacher, Boyd noted, “My research has helped me consider how I can integrate content across disciplines, by bringing historical context into an English classroom for a more truthful and culturally relevant curriculum.”
Boyd is regarded as a teacher candidate who understands the praxis of interdisciplinary teaching, and is eager to collaborate with others, including teaching faculty and university librarians, to develop as a teacher scholar.
“During my undergraduate research, it has been so valuable to challenge myself with an area in which I had limited incoming knowledge, to ensure that I continue growing as a scholar and a future educator,” said Boyd. “I have benefited from the guidance and encouragement of my mentor, Dr. Buchanan, and the help of the amazing Belk librarians like Patrick Rudd. Going forward, I am excited to continue challenging my understanding of history and the way it is integrated into classrooms, in order to best prepare students for understanding the complexity and multifaceted truths of history.”