Marquita Blades

Contributing Faculty
Richard W. Riley College of Education and Human Sciences
M.S. Education (MSEd)

An award-winning educator with more than 20 years of experience, Dr. Blades is a highly-sought consultant and instructional leader who thrives on empowering and advocating for teachers. In addition to being a classroom teacher for 16 years, Dr. Blades has also developed and managed national STEM enrichment programs, written curricula and assessments for some of the education’s top publishers, and has spoken at several national & international conferences. She is a 2023 Finalist for the Women in Technology STEAM Educator of the Year Award.
Dr. Blades has an inherent ability to spot gaps and develop creative solutions to fill them. This led to the creation of the POWARRful Teaching Strategies® framework to help students build their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, based on both doctoral research and recurring themes in her own teaching practices. Since releasing POWARRFUL Teaching Strategies® in 2018, Dr. Blades has shared the framework with thousands of educators across the US, giving them the tools and confidence they need to build more student-centered classrooms.
In addition to consulting, Dr. Blades has more than 15 titles to her credit as author, contributing author, publisher, editor, and publishing consultant. Her most recent work is the Summer Brain Boosters K-5 Reading & Math Workbook series. She is the co-founder of the Gyrlfriend Collective, and independent publishing house best-known for its Gyrlfriend Code series and the founder of DBC publishing a subsidiary of Dr. Blades Consulting/POWARRful Teaching Strategies.

Education

EdD, Nova Southeastern University

MS, Southern Polytechnic State University

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Georgia State University

Public Service

Abolitionist Teaching Network, Other - Atlanta

Awards / Honors

STEAM Educator of the Year, Women in Technology, 2023

Publications

Blades, M. (2023). Science Teaching and Learning: Imaginative Play and Problem-Solving Skills, Not Just for the Advantaged.

Blades, M. S. (2021). Foreword by Dr. Marquita S. Blades.

Blades, M. S. (2020). 50 Best Strategies for Enhancing Your SCIENCE Instruction Using Cutting-Edge Tech Tools and Resources.

Blades, M. S. (2021). Differentiated Instruction Across Content Areas: Proven Strategies for the Whole Class (Grades 6-12).

Blades, M. S. (2019). Increasing Student Mastery of the Next Generation Science Standards Through Practical Implementation of Crosscutting Concepts and Science & Engineering Practices.

Presentations

Blades, M. (2023). Exploring STEM and Getting More African-Americans in the Field. Black Doctoral Network

Blades, M. (2022). High-Level Self-Care for Managing High-Level Teaching. South Carolina Education Association