Kofi LeNiles

Assistant Professor

Kofi LeNiles

Contact Info

Phone:
410-704-4623
Office:
Hawkins Hall 417A
Email:
kleniles@towson.edu

Education

Ed.D., Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Howard University,

M.S. Adolescent Generalist, University at Albany

M.A. Elementary Education, Grand Canyon University

B.A., English, University at Albany

Areas of Expertise

African-centered education
African and African-American culture
Educational leadership
Cultivating organization culture

Biography

Dr. Kofi LeNiles studies African-centered education and Maroons. His research delves into the positive impact of African-centered education on the socio-academic development of Black children. Additionally, he explores the history and legacy of Maroons, Africans who freed themselves during the Maafa (trans-Atlantic slave trade) and established independent communities in the Western Hemisphere. His work centers on the influence of culture, epistemologies, and life experiences on leadership, teaching, and learning.

Dr. LeNiles was selected as a 2024 – 2026 Research Fellow with the Black Education Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, a highly selective honor awarded to scholars with a strong record of research advancing educational equity. Dr. LeNiles has authored several children’s books and co-produced a documentary on maroons and a talk show. 

Selected Publications

  • LeNiles, K. (2025). The Instruction of Youth Is Like Engraving in Stone: The Instructional Praxis of a West African Queen Mother Working with Junior High School Students. Harvard Educational Review, 95(4), 560-581. https://doi.org/10.17763/N8F2W6J4T 
  • LeNiles, K. (2025). African-centered Homeschooling. Journal of Nationbuilding and ReAfricanization, 36(1), 27-32.
  • LeNiles, K., Shockley, K.G. (2023). ReAfricanizing for Black Student Success: The Maroon Model. Journal of African American Studies, 27, 24–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-023-09617-6 
  • Burbanks IV, S. M., Shockley, K. G., & LeNiles, K. (2020). The need for African centered education in STEM programs for Black youth. Journal of African American Males in Education (JAAME), 11(2), 12-24.
  • LeNiles, K., LeNiles, A. (2020). The challenge of developing Imhotep into Imhotep: Ruminations from African-centered parents with children in non-African-centered schools. In K. Shockley & K. Lomotey (Eds.), African-centered education: Theory and practice (pp.19-25). Myers Press.

Research

  • African-centered education
  • African-centered education in STEM
  • Maroons 

Honors and Awards

  • Research Fellowship, The Black Education Research Center, Columbia University Teachers College, 2024 – 2026
  • Gloria Neubert Excellence in Teaching Award, Towson University College of Education, 2024
  • Excellence in Scholarship, Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement, Temple University, 2018