Daniel Thomas, III
- Assistant Professor in Secondary Education
Contact Info
Biography —
Dr. Daniel Thomas III is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching in the School of Education, and he holds a courtesy appointment with the Department of African and African American Studies. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and was awarded the university’s Outstanding Dissertation Award. Dr. Thomas’ scholarship focuses on the intersection between two strands of research—anti-Black historical discourse and the contemporary experiences of Black men and boys within secondary education. His first strand currently explores the critical, antiracist practices of Black men serving as teacher-coaches. The second strand examines how Black boys encounter and resist anti-Blackness within predominantly White and private Catholic high schools. His work has been published in Theory & Research in Social Education, Race Ethnicity & Education, and the Peabody Journal of Education.
Education —
Research —
Research Interests
- Africana Philosophy
- Black male teachers
- Anti-Blackness
- Teacher-Coaches
- Black Student-Athletes
- Critical Civic Engagement
Podcasts
Thomas, D. (2022, August 2). Civic-Oriented Practices of Black Male Teacher-Coaches (No. 183). In Visions of Education. https://visionsofed.com/2022/08/02/episode-183-civic-oriented-practices-of-black-male-teacher-coaches-with-daniel-thomas-iii/
Teaching —
- C&T 541 Advanced Secondary Social Studies Methods
- C&T 420 Teaching Government and Social Issues
- C&T 335 Secondary Social Studies Methods
Selected Publications —
Thomas III, D., Johnson, M., & Brown, A. (2022). (Un) Natural Saviors and Motivators: Analyzing the Pathological Scripting of Black Male Teachers in Hollywood Films. Educational Studies, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2022.2096454
Thomas III, D. (2022). “If I can help somebody”: The civic-oriented thought and practices of Black male teacher-coaches. Theory & Research in Social Education, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/00933104.2022.2078258
Crooks, D., Logan, A., Thomas III, D., Clark, L., & Gill, E. (2022). Legal and political activism: the next wave of student-athlete protest. Sport, Education and Society, 1-14. https://doi-org.www2.lib.ku.edu/10.1080/13573322.2021.2023490
Thomas III, D., Johnson, M., Clark. L., Harrison, L. (2020). When the Mirage Fades: Black Boys Encountering Antiblackness in a Predominantly White Catholic High School.Race Ethnicity and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2020.1798376
Harrison, L., Lietner, J., Wallace, J., Payne T., Thomas D. (2020). “Who Am I? Racial Identity, Athletic Identity, and the African American Athlete. In Brooks, D. D., & Althouse, R. C. (Eds.). Racism in college athletics: The African American athlete's experience. Fitness Information Technology.
Selected Presentations —
Thomas, D. (2022, April). (Un)Natural Savior and Motivators: Analyzing the Encoded Meaning of Black Male Teachers in Hollywood. American Educational Research Association. San Diego, CA.
Thomas, D. (2021, November). Gatekeepers and Guardians of Black Intellectual Thought: Black Male Teachers Combating an Antiblack Epistemic Order Through Critical Civic Engagement. College and University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies. Virtual.
Thomas, D. (2020, January). ‘I was uncomfortable’: Are Predominantly White Private Catholic Schools What They Seem? Black Student-Athlete Summit. Austin, TX.
Awards & Honors —
Summer Research Writing Support (University of Kansas, 2022)
Outstanding Dissertation Award (University of Texas at Austin, 2021)
Dissertation Writing Fellowship (University of Texas at Austin, 2020
Three Minute Thesis People’s Choice Award (Conference of Southern Graduate Schools, 2020)
Japan Study Abroad Scholarship (Hiroshima University Dept. of Social Studies, 2020)
Three Minute Thesis Champion (University of Texas at Austin, 2019)
Service —
Dr. Thomas is an active member of the American Education Research Association (AERA) , the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS), and the College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA).