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I am a Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the Department of Teacher Education at Ohio University and Faculty Director of the Stevens Center for Literacy and STEM Education. My work focuses on equity, justice, critical literacies, and critical pedagogies in early childhood and elementary education, with a particular emphasis on mathematics teaching, learning, and teacher education.

I bring nearly three decades of experience as a public school teacher, instructional coach, teacher educator, and researcher. Before joining Ohio University, I taught at the elementary and middle school levels and served as a K–5 instructional coach in culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse communities. These experiences continue to shape my commitment to creating engaging, child-centered learning environments that recognize and build on children's strengths, experiences, and agency.

My teaching, research, and outreach explore how educators in multiple places (e.g., K-12 and at the university level) can create more equitable, humane, and justice-oriented learning spaces. Through collaborative partnerships with teachers, schools, families, and community organizations, I support inquiry-oriented approaches to teaching and learning that connect academic content to issues that matter in children's lives. Much of this work centers on mathematics education and examines how teachers can develop more equitable and meaningful approaches to mathematics teaching and learning.

At Ohio University, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in mathematics education, diversity in education, practitioner inquiry, teacher education, and graduate mentorship. Through the Stevens Center, I collaborate with fellow faculty, educators and community partners on professional learning, outreach initiatives, and research projects. Over the course of my career, I have secured and collaborated on more than twenty externally funded projects supported by federal, state, and local agencies, including the National Science Foundation. These projects have focused on teacher learning, STEM education, equitable mathematics instruction, and community-engaged educational partnerships.

I earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an M.A. in Teaching from George Mason University, and a B.S. in Elementary Education from Ohio University. I also hold a current Ohio teaching license for grades 1–8.

I am proud to live and work in Appalachia and to be part of a university community that values education, creativity, collaboration, and civic engagement. I am also currently part of the United Academics of Ohio University (the first faculty union at Ohio University), and serve on the Bargaining Team where we are negotiating our first collective bargaining agreement with the administration.

Curriculum Vitae

Reach me at koestler@ohio.edu or 740-593-0118