Shondra L. Marshall is the Implementation Policy and Research Manager at Hope Starts Here: Detroit’s Early Childhood Partnership. In this role she explores the impact of early childhood education and the intersectionality of policy, data, research, and practice.

Shondra's research agenda focuses on, child development, teacher preparation, exploring best practices and strategies to best serve students, examining pedagogy, academic performance, educational experiences, and literacy activities of African American students. Her current research efforts are exploring racial socialization and parental influences of African American students. Shondra is a native of Flint Michigan but has a special affinity to Detroit and Lansing Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University with her Bachelor of Science degree in Retail Management (Business Cognate) and with a Master of Arts degree in Teaching and Curriculum with a specialization in literacy and language instruction. Shondra received her Ph.D. in Educational Studies: Urban Education from Eastern Michigan University. Two of her most recent publications include a book chapter entitled Interrogating “Trouble”: An ecologically centered approach to race-related socialization factors as moderators of disruptive behaviors and achievement outcomes among African American boys (Johnson, Banerjee & Marshall, 2019) and her dissertation entitled: Can place-based teacher preparation be culturally responsive? An exploration of one promising program (2019).

She is a Michigan State University Black Alumni lifetime member, currently serves as the treasurer in the Oakland county chapter and as the National President for MSU Black Alumni Inc. Shondra serves on two endowed scholarship committees at MSU: Dr. Paulette C. Walker endowed scholarship and Michigan State University Black Alumni Oakland County Endowed Scholarship. Shondra is a member of the Southfield Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She is dedicated to community empowerment, equity and access. One of her guiding principles in her life is “it is better to give than to receive”. In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with family, reading and working out.