William Cortezia

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Education School of Education
Will Cortezia headshot
978.665.3489 Office: McKay C120
Office Hours
Spring 2024

Monday and Wednesday from 11:00am-12:30pm

Biography

Dr. William Cortezia is a Brazilian pedagogue and tenured faculty at the School of Education at Fitchburg State University. Dr. Cortezia is also the coordinator for the Resident Leadership Institute at Fitchburg State University. He is a speaker in college access and success, community outreach, and pedagogy for educators working with underserved/underprepared students and students at risk of dropping out of school.  He works with higher education institutions, K-12 schools, and non-profit organizations helping them further develop and evolve their work with students and communities. His teaching methods courses include a focus on social stratification, sociology of education and critical pedagogy\teaching. Dr. Cortezia's most recent research explores:  Public School Education and the Pedagogy of a Culture of Excellence - Sapientia, Virtus, and Amicitia; The Plight of the Male Students of Color: Quantitative Indicators of Enrollment and Resentment; and The Significance of a Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: The Sociology of Critical Education and Middle School. 

Courses Taught

The Art of Teaching Social Studies & Writing (EDUC 2870)
Teaching English Language Arts & Literacy in Middle School (EDUC 3025)
Teaching Social Studies in Middle School (EDUC 3028)
Middle School Concepts (EDUC 3070)
Curriculum and Instruction in Middle School (EDUC 3300)
Foundations of Inclusive Education (EDUC 1006)
Introduction to Education (MATH/BIOL/CHEM/HIST/ENGL 1860)
Introduction to Special Education (SPED 1001)
First Year Experience Seminar: Is Everyone Equal? (FYE 1000)
Becoming a Teacher (EDUC 7116)
Advanced Social Studies in Education (EDUC 8360)
IDIS Capstone Seminar: Education (IDIS 4000)

Background

Doctor of Philosophy in Education in Curriculum and Instruction
(Curriculum Evaluation & Research – Middle School Education).
Dissertation – Democratic Citizenship: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Pedagogy of Social Sciences in Public Schools.
Barry University, Miami Shores, FL

Master of Arts in Sociology.
Sociology of Education – concentration in Race & Ethnic Relations.
Master Thesis – The Structure of Imperialism: United States Foreign Policy and Its Effects on Brazil in the 1980s.
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI

Bachelor of Science in Political Science.
Minor in Sociology
Barry University, Miami Shores, FL

  • Anti-Racist Pedagogy
  • Critical Race Theory
  • Community Pedagogy and Leadership
  • Secondary (Grades 6-12) Pedagogy
  • Sociology of Education

RESEARCH in Progress- Forthcoming.

  • Comprehending the Social-Academic Needs of Black Male Student-Athletes at Predominantly White Institutions of Higher Learning in the U.S.
  • In Freire We Trust: Public School Education and the Pedagogy of a Culture of Excellence - Sapientia, Virtus, and Amicitia.
  • The Significance of a Culturally Relevant Pedagogy: The Sociology of Critical Education and Middle School. 

“An Alternative for Brazil and India” (Co-author)Date of article publication - February, 10, 2004 in The Hindu (India).

“Does Dependency Theory still have Relevance in Latin America?”Published in “Globalization With a Face.” (2004) – John W. Murphy & Jung Ming Choi (eds.). Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishers. Chapter 5. 75-86.

“Professional Books: Schooling of the Child: The Making of Students in the Classroom”. Childhood Education. Winter 2006/2007. 83: 2 (113).

“Read! Move! Learn!: Active Stories for Active Learning”. Childhood Education. Winter 2007/2008. 84: 5 (356).

“Democratic Citizenship: The Pedagogy of Social Sciences in Public Schools”. Contrapontos International Pedagogy Journal. 2017. 17:2 (218-245).

“Preface”. Published in Cursos Superiores de Tecnologia no Brasil: Política e currículo. (2017) - Patricia Stryhalski & Verônica Gesser. Novas Edições Acadêmicas.

Translation: Higher technology courses in Brazil: Politics and curriculum.

“The Difference a Teacher Can Make in a Young Boy’s Life: From Brazil to Macau”. Childhood Explorer -   Association for Childhood Education International. Autumn 2017.

“NewVue Communities Steward Leadership Development Program, and Fitchburg State University Resident Leadership Institute Celebrates Graduates”. Sentinel & Enterprise. June 10, 2021.

  • Associação Brasileira de Cultura e Educação (Brazilian Culture and Education Association)
  • American Sociological Association – Sociology of Education
  • International Baccalaureate World Organization (Alumni - Class of 1993/ IBO Educator 2008-2013
  • Massachusetts Teacher Association
  • Massachusetts Higher Education Innovation Fund
  • Miami Teaching Fellows - Miami-Dade County Public Schools The New Teacher Project - NY  (2005-2008 Fellow)
  • National Council for the Social Studies
  • National Education Association (NEA)
  • New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS)
  • Pi Gamma Mu – International Honor Society in Social Studies