Dr. Mercy Agyepong

Biography

Mercy Agyepong is an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Education program at NYU Steinhardt. Her scholarship draws on critical social theory, sociology of education, race, ethnicity, immigration, urban education, postcolonial theory, and studies related to the African diaspora and anti-Blackness. Originally from Accra, Ghana, and raised in the Bronx, New York, she focuses on the racialization and treatment of Black students in U.S. public schools, with a particular emphasis on K-12 school experiences and the academic achievement of sub-Saharan African students. Her research has been funded by the American Educational Research Association's Division G, and she has received several awards, including the 2021 NYU Steinhardt Racial Justice Award and the 2022 NYU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award. Agyepong has contributed to multiple books, including 'Critical Theory and Qualitative Data Analysis in Education' and 'Erasing Invisibility: Inequity and Social Injustice in the African Diaspora.' She holds a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an MS.Ed. in Education, Culture, and Society from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Sociology of Education from New York University, and a BA in Sociology from SUNY Geneseo.

Research Interests