Keitha-Gail Martin-Kerr

Keitha-Gail Martin-Kerr serves as Associate Professor and Department Associate Chair in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota's College of Education and Human Development. A queer Black immigrant from Jamaica, she centers her work on resistance to normativity and anti-oppressive pedagogy across elementary and teacher education contexts, with research intersecting racial justice, queerness, and collective memory work.

Education

• PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Minnesota
• MA, Touro College
• MS, City University of New York
• BA, Northern Caribbean University, Jamaica

Her scholarship employs critical phenomenology and feminist methodology to advance healing justice, anti-oppressive pedagogies, and mentoring for equity. She investigates literacy coaching through decolonial lenses and develops collective leadership frameworks that center Black and queer experiences in educational spaces, drawing from her identity as a Black immigrant scholar.

Analysis of her 12 publications (2018-2025) reveals consistent thematic focus on queer pedagogy, decolonizing practices, and innovative methodologies like post-intentional phenomenology. Her work spans Jamaica, Guyana, and U.S. contexts, addressing teacher education through critical colonial consciousness while amplifying marginalized voices in elementary literacy and curriculum development.

Scientific Awards
No specific awards were documented in the provided information.

Advising and Grants
Dr. Martin-Kerr emphasizes collaborative mentoring, supporting students in research co-creation and conference presentations. She leads the Jamaica Exchange in Teaching Program (JET), a sponsored initiative fostering international teacher development through Minnesota-Jamaica partnerships, while advocating for transparent communication and identity-affirming guidance in doctoral supervision.

Labs and Teams
As JET program director, she coordinates cross-cultural exchanges that build equity-minded teaching practices through co-created professional development, connecting Minnesota educators with Jamaican counterparts to address colonial legacies in teacher preparation.