Mark Vagle

Mark Vagle is a Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota, where his research, teaching, and service critically examine social and philosophical concerns within elementary education. He conceptualizes elementary education as a fluid intellectual space bridging early childhood (Birth-8) and middle grades (10-14) education, challenging developmental stage discourses while promoting multidisciplinary curricula and pedagogies.

His educational background includes a PhD in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota, an MA in Education from St. Mary’s University, and a BA in Elementary Education from Concordia College. Vagle's research centers on phenomenology, social class, curriculum studies, critical theories, and qualitative research methodologies, with a signature focus on social class-sensitive pedagogies developed through The CLASSroom Project, which has engaged over 1,000 educators in high-poverty school contexts.

His scholarly output (2018-2025) reveals a dominant trajectory in post-intentional phenomenology applied to teacher education, formative assessment, and social justice. Key thematic clusters include arts-based inquiry for emotional healing in education, critical examinations of social class dynamics, and methodological innovations in post-qualitative research—all emphasizing practical classroom applications while interrogating middle-class assumptions in schooling.

• Marty & Jack Rossmann Award for exceptional creativity and productivity (University of Minnesota, 2017)
• Outstanding Qualitative Research Book Award (AERA, 2016)
• Early Career Award Finalist (AERA Division G, 2016)
• D. Keith Osborn Award for Teaching Excellence (University of Georgia, 2010)

Vagle has secured major grants including the Bush Foundation's Alternative Pathways to Teaching (2015-2017) and Minnesota Reads (2002-2007), plus AUSA's BAM Adventures Study (2012-2013). His current work with elementary teachers developing social class-sensitive photo stories aims to deepen connections with students from working-class backgrounds through narrative embodiment.

The CLASSroom Project serves as his primary research collective, driving professional development workshops nationwide while producing actionable frameworks for addressing class-based educational disparities through phenomenological inquiry and critical pedagogy.