Mica Pollock

Mica Pollock is Professor of Education Studies at the University of California, San Diego. Her newest book is Schooltalk: Rethinking What We Say About—and To—Students Every Day (The New Press).

Pollock’s work explores educators’ key role in daily efforts for antiracism, opportunity, and equality. She highlights the role of language in educators’ work. In projects based in schools, districts, cities, universities, community organizations, and government, Pollock studies how people in diverse education communities talk as they collaborate in support of students. Her work asks how education communities can come together to support equity and help develop the full human talents of every young person.

Over the past decade, Pollock’s work has explored how networks of conversation partners can use universities to help create K–20 learning opportunities that benefit entire regions.

Pollock’s first book, Colormute: Race Talk Dilemmas in an American School, won the AERA Outstanding Book Award. Her later book, Because of Race: How Americans Debate Harm and Opportunity in Our Schools, examined debates over improving the everyday school experiences of students and families of color.

In Everyday Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School, Pollock organized 70 scholars to write essays supporting teachers as they consider everyday issues of race, opportunity, and diversity. She also co-edited A Companion to the Anthropology of Education, a reference volume on the anthropology of education.

From 2009 to 2011, Pollock collaborated with educators, families, students, and programmers in The OneVille Project, a participatory research project exploring how technology can help education communities communicate and collaborate in support of student success.

Since joining UC San Diego in 2011, Pollock has worked to foster new equity conversations in the San Diego region. Pollock and colleagues helped lead the CREATE STEM Success Initiative, which connects UC San Diego faculty, staff, and students with local educators and communities to expand STEM learning opportunities.

These experiences, along with nearly two decades of work supporting educators and students in diverse settings, inform Pollock’s work on Schooltalk. She also launched #schooltalking, an online initiative that supports educators in dialogue and resource sharing.

Pollock also helped launch #USvsHate, a national educator- and youth-led anti-hate messaging project designed with partners across San Diego.

Pollock previously taught high school in California and worked in the civil rights field. She spent a decade as a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and received her Ph.D. from Stanford University.

For publications and downloadable materials, visit the Mica Pollock profile on Academia.edu.