Dr. Ashley Montgomery

Ashley Montgomery, Ph.D. is a teacher, sociolinguist, and educational researcher who is committed to community-based literacy initiatives that center on justice, equity, and wellness in youth and young adults. Experienced in needs-based, alternative learning environments, Dr. Montgomery’s work focuses on first and second language reading and writing development (English and French) with an emphasis on culturally sustaining pedagogy and language access for marginalized youth and young adults. She has designed and led literacy programming within a prison-to-community reentry context, as well as developed, facilitated and assessed after school youth-engagement programs as a means to support youth and adults in building foundational and expressive literacy skills such as story-telling, as a pathway toward reintegration, self-actualization, communication and community connection. Her intention is to support students in developing not only linguistic proficiency but also intercultural competence, critical thinking, and a sense of global responsibility.

Dr. Montgomery holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and French language & literature from the University of Alabama, a master’s in applied linguistics, and a doctorate in education from Concordia University in Montréal, Québec.

Dr. Montgomery grew up as a military child and continued to move around in her adult life. Currently, she has set roots here in Arlington with her cat, and enjoys reading, mentoring, teaching yoga, and throwing clay in her free time.