Ph.D. Justice & Diversity in Education
Vanderbilt University

M.A. Sociology (Race, Class, & Gender Specialization)
University of Maryland, College Park

B.A. African-American Studies, Psychology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Bryant O. Best, son of James W. Best and Annie Beatrice Newsome, was on born October 31st ,1989. Raised in Wilson, NC, Bryant’s mother instilled in him a passion for reading and knowledge that molded him into the man he is today. His career began as an intern for the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Center for Policy Research and Strategy (CPRS). There, he analyzed and reported on national and institutional level data in response to pressing issues in higher education, produced briefings for college and university leaders on the matter ofeducational equity, and established a research partnership between the CPRS and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) that resulted in a publication on the academic and social experiences of Black male Division I athletes. Similarly, in his role at the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Bryant worked with six to eight state education agencies that were committed to the Innovation Lab Network (ILN) and its principles of educational equity, personalized learning, socioemotional learning, and competency-based education.

Research Interests:
One area of Bryant’s research agenda highlights the policies and practices that contribute to the school discipline disproportionality – what some scholars refer to as the “school-to prison pipeline” – with a particular focus on how Black communities utilize their own individual, institutional, and relational assets to disrupt and dismantle the pipeline. A second area of his research agenda considers how video game culture can be used to reimagine Black students’ connections to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academic content and career preparation. A third, emerging area of research revolves around his role as an Affiliate Faculty member of the School of Social Work’s Center on Urban Violence and Crime Reduction at Morgan State. In this third area, Bryant will explore how colleges and universities can prevent gun violence on their respective campuses as well as other social problems related to violent crime in urban communities.

Selected Publications:
Best, B.O. (2015). Higher Ed Spotlight: Black Male Division I Basketball and Football Student
Athletes. American Council on Education. Retrieved from https://www.acenet.edu/news-
room/Pages/Higher-Ed-Spotlight-Black-Male-Division-I-Basketball-and-Football-Student-
Athletes.aspx.

Best, B.O. & Milner, H.R. (2023). Too much talking, not enough listening: The Racial Contract
made manifest in a mixed-race focus group interview. Race, Ethnicity, and Education.

Weidler-Lewis, J., Best, B.O., Ray Butler, B., Carey, R.L., Henderson, H. & Spann, J. (2024).
Dismantling the carceral state in educational practices: Centering collaboration and voice of
the formerly incarcerated to enact transformation. Urban Education.