Rachel N. Throop

Rachel N. Throop is a Term Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at Barnard College, part of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She is actively involved in teaching foundational and urban education courses and mentors senior thesis students through scheduled Zoom and in-person meetings.

Research Interests: Her work critically examines the intersections of race, class, and capital in educational contexts, with a focus on urban education, educational privatization, and the role of NGOs and non-profits in shaping social policy. She employs ethnographic and qualitative methodologies to explore the politics and ethics of volunteerism and border pedagogies.

Her recent publications and conference presentations reflect a sustained engagement with social class, student voice, community knowledge, and identity-based pedagogical models. Themes across her work include inequality, power dynamics in classrooms, and the ethical challenges of conducting research on classed experiences.

Advising and Engagement: She advises senior thesis students and maintains regular office hours using digital platforms. Her academic service includes invited lectures at institutions like the Harvard Graduate School of Education and presentations at national conferences such as the American Anthropological Association and the National Association for Multicultural Education.