Amanda Morales Associate Professor
PH.D Kansas State University (2011), Curriculum & Instruction
M.S Texas Christian University (2004), Curriculum & Instruction
B.A Kansas State University (1998), Art History
A.A Barton County Community College (1996), Graphic Design
Summary of Research
Amanda R. Morales currently is an associate professor of critical multicultural & multilingual Education in the Department of Teaching, Learning, & Teacher Education. Dr. Morales’ research addresses issues of equity and access for minoritized students across the PK-20 education continuum. More specifically, her current work focuses on teacher diversification pathways, teacher preparation for working with (im)migrant, multilingual, and minoritized students, critical mentoring for teachers of Color (TOCs), as well as the experiences of pre-service and in-service TOCs in predominately White institutions. She has won national research awards from AACTE – the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, AERA – American Education Research Association, and AAHHE - the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education Association.
Dr. Morales teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses on critical multicultural education, intercultural communication, curriculum and pedagogy, and critical and (de)colonizing theories in education. She also serves as the co-founder and advisor for the undergraduate student organization, Future Teachers of Color (FTOC) and as an advisor for the CEHS Racial Justice Alliance (RJA) student organization.
Amanda is a Latina from the rural Midwest whose research and practice builds on her experiences as a generation college student, her prior work as an assistant professor and the diversity coordinator for the College of Education at Kansas State University (KSU), and her experience as a program manager in the Center for Intercultural Multilingual Advocacy at KSU. Prior to working in higher education, Amanda was the Assistant Director of Visitor Programs at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Fort Worth, Texas for 6 years where she did school, public, and community-based programming, teaching at a middle-level magnet school, and teacher professional development for the Texas Center for Inquiry. She is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, reports, and grant proposals (earning over 3.5 million dollars in funded projects).
Areas of Expertise:
Teacher Diversification Pathways
Multicultural & Multilingual Education
Critical Mentoring
Teacher Preparation (Curriculum & Pedagogy)
Lived Experiences of Teachers of Color
University, School, Community, & Community College Partnerships
Critical Race Theory, LatCrit Theory, & Chicana Feminist Epistemologies
Recruitment & Retention of Underrepresented Groups in STEM
Educational Foundations