James Paul Stancil II

My work is about making academic support more useful for real students in real settings. I help colleges and organizations design tutoring and coaching programs, train staff, and thoughtfully consider equity, access, and belonging in student success work. In my roles with the National Tutoring Association, I’ve helped plan national conferences, written for organizational publications, and developed initiatives focused on media literacy and digital citizenship. I’ve also worked with educational institutions on tutoring support for diverse learners.

As a doctoral student in Community College Leadership at Ferris State University, my research examines how humanized pedagogy, problem-based learning programs, and restorative justice frameworks can dismantle systemic bureaucratic barriers and serve as critical academic support systems for marginalized, first-generation, and rural community college students. Grounded in critical pragmatism, my work explores how these relational, equity-minded practices foster a sense of student mattering and help reclaim higher education’s democratic, community-building mission.