Sarah Schneider Kavanagh

Dr. Sarah Schneider Kavanagh is an Associate Professor in the Learning, Teaching, and Literacies Division at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE). She serves as Director of the Collaboratory for Teaching and Teacher Education and Co-Principal Investigator on major research grants focused on K–12 teacher learning. Her work bridges teacher education, instructional coaching, and justice-oriented pedagogy, emphasizing equity-centered practices. Kavanagh previously held roles at Stanford University and the University of Washington, and began her career as a middle/high school teacher in California and Maryland.

Education: Ph.D. in Education from the University of Washington College of Education; prior degrees not specified. Expertise: Teacher professional development, LGBTQ-inclusive education, project-based learning (PBL), and discourse-rich classroom practices. Her research examines how teachers integrate social justice commitments into instruction and how educator coaches support pedagogical innovation. Awards: Recipient of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (2025). Grants: Funded by the Spencer Foundation, James S. McDonnell Foundation, and Lucas Education Research, among others. Labs/Initiatives: Leads the Collaboratory for Teaching and Teacher Education, fostering partnerships with K–12 schools to design scalable professional learning systems.

Her scholarship appears in top journals like the American Educational Research Journal and Teachers College Record, with a 2021 co-authored book Core Practices for Project-Based Learning. Current projects explore justice-oriented teaching practices, inquiry-based pedagogy, and teacher educator strategies for supporting equity-focused instruction.