Karen Mundy

Karen Mundy is a Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), cross-appointed to the Munk School of Global and Public Affairs. She holds the distinction of being a former Canada Research Chair (2002-2012) and has served as Associate Dean of Research and Innovation (2012-2014) and Director of the Comparative, International and Development Education Centre (CIDEC) at OISE (2002-2011).

Dr. Mundy's research interests focus on education in the developing world, the global politics of 'education for all', educational policy and reform in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the role of civil society organizations in educational change. Her scholarly work bridges academic research with practical policy implementation, making significant contributions to both theoretical understanding and real-world educational challenges globally.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on foundational learning challenges, particularly literacy and numeracy in low-income countries, as well as responses to educational disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her influential 2021 article 'Why Do We Keep Failing to Universalize Literacy?' critically examines global education architecture and challenges prominent actors like the Gates Foundation to rethink their approaches to educational reform.

• Two-time winner of the Bereday award for best article in the Comparative Education Review (1998, 2015)
• Named among Canada's 10 best educators by Time Magazine (2002)
• President of the Comparative and International Education Society (2014-2015)

Dr. Mundy has supervised more than two dozen PhD students to completion and has received research funding from major organizations including the Gates Foundation. Her practical policy work includes serving as Chief Technical Officer at the Global Partnership for Education (2018-2022), where she led the development of strategic frameworks and built the Education Policy and Performance Team from one person to a group of 25 technical experts. She has advised numerous international organizations including the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the Mastercard Foundation.