Kathryn Kirchgasler

My research investigates power relations within science education, health education, and teacher education. My current project examines how educational reforms have demarcated health versus pathology in past and present. I am exploring histories of science instruction in segregated and colonial schools, alongside recent reforms to promote health equity and broaden participation in STEM and medical professions. My central concern is understanding how techniques of research and pedagogy inherit cultural norms and racialized assumptions that undermine commitments to equality and justice. In prior projects, I have explored racial disparities in high school coursework, unintended effects of data-driven reforms, and the marginalization of sociopolitical dimensions of science and sustainability in curricular standards. I am a former middle school teacher and have taught science in bilingual and international settings. Currently, I teach courses in Curriculum & Instruction and Science Education at the graduate and undergraduate levels, specializing in theories and methodologies from cultural studies and Science & Technology Studies.