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Charisse Cowan Pitre, PhD
Associate Dean for Faculty Development & Justice Initiatives
Professor, Teacher Education (MIT)
Biography
Dr. Cowan Pitre researches sociocultural and schooling factors related to the educational achievement of students from diverse social and economic backgrounds. A former middle and high school language arts teacher, she earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Seattle University and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Texas.
Before joining the Seattle University community as a faculty member in the Master in Teaching Program, she was an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Education
- PhD, Curriculum & Instruction, University of North Texas
- MA, Curriculum & Instruction, Seattle University
- BA, English, University of Washington
Courses Taught
Dr. Cowan Pitre’s research and teaching interests include the sociopolitical context of schools, BIPOC teacher retention, teacher development, and educational opportunity programs to support post-secondary aspirations and access for P-12 students from underrepresented and minoritized groups. She has presented at national and international education conferences and has published articles in each of these areas.
Her research has been published in a range of scholarly journals including Teacher Education and Practice, College & University, and Metropolitan Universities. Recent publications include Developing civic-minded teacher leaders through service-learning school partnerships (The Professional Educator), Improving African American student outcomes: Understanding educational achievement and considering strategies to close opportunity gaps (Western Journal of Black Studies), and Increasing aspirations of urban youth with career and community-focused learning experiences: An entrepreneurship inquiry model (in Curriculum Leadership: A Contemporary Approach).
Current projects examine the development and retention of teachers committed to teaching for social change, the role of peer-mentoring in the development of social justice teacher leaders, and teacher-led spaces to empower and support BIPOC equity educators.
Publications
- BA, English, University of WashingtonCowan Pitre, C. (in press). A black professor’s resistance and renewal: Journey reflections with letters to educators who labor for freedom and liberation. In B. Kelly & S. Fries-Britt, S. (Eds.), Building mentorship networks to support Black women (forthcoming, Routledge).