Kathleen Brinegar
Assistant Professor
Program Coordinator, Advanced Specialties in Educational Practice (MEd)
Program Coordinator, Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)
PRONOUNS she/her
85 South Prospect St
410 Waterman
Burlington, VT 05401
United States
- Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Vermont
- M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Vermont
- B.A. in History and English, University of Vermont
Area(s) of expertise
- Young adolescents and critical middle school studies
- Equitable/culturally sustaining pedagogies
- Adolescent literacy and English language arts methods
- Justice-oriented teacher education
BIO
Dr. Brinegar has a broad background in research and teaching related to young adolescents, literacy, and teacher education. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to equity and cultural responsiveness, young adolescent development, middle grades organization and pedagogy, literacy and ELA methods, and curriculum and assessment.
Her scholarship centers educational justice and equity. It critically examines the power and privilege inherent in the systems that support and inform our current schooling structures. Her research on critical middle school studies, culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, and justice-oriented teacher education has been published in venues such as Teaching & Teacher Education, Inquiry in Education, Research in Middle Level Education Online, Middle Grades Review, Middle Grades Research Journal, and The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education series.
Dr. Brinegar currently serves as co-editor of Middle Grades Review and as the past chair of the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Courses
- EDML 1890 Foundations of Middle Level Education
- EDML 2890 Teachers & the Teaching Process
- EDML 3700 Middle Grades Organization & Pedagogy
- EDML 3770 Young Adolescent English Language Arts (ELA) Methods
- EDML 4890 Middle Level Teaching Practicum II
- EDML 5770 Culturally Sustaining Middle Level ELA
- EDML 5890 Equitable Middle Grades Learning Environments
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- Outstanding New Community-Engaged Learning Faculty Award, University of Vermont (2025)
- Fellowship, New England Board of Education, Open Education Community of Practice (2021)
- Certificate in Online Teaching, Online Learning Consortium (2021)
- Excellence in Advising Award, Northern Vermont University (2015)
- Excellence in Advising Award, Northern Vermont University (2014)
Formula Grant:
- 2018 PI, Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant, $1.5 million
Internal Grants:
- 2025 Co-PI, CESS Research Grant, Participatory prismatic evaluation: An ontological
examination of language arts curriculum, $7,512 - 2023 Co-PI, CESS Academic Innovation Grant, We are with you beyond graduation: Induction year supports for first-year teachers, $16,230
- 2022 Key Personnel, CESS Research Grant, Developing Social Justice Advocacy Guidelines for Schools and Organizations Serving Youth, $3,900
- 2022 Key Personnel, CESS Research Grant, Centering Indigenous Worldviews in Critical
PBE, $4,000 - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 PI, Faculty Development Grants, Northern Vermont University
Bio
Dr. Brinegar has a broad background in research and teaching related to young adolescents, literacy, and teacher education. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to equity and cultural responsiveness, young adolescent development, middle grades organization and pedagogy, literacy and ELA methods, and curriculum and assessment.
Her scholarship centers educational justice and equity. It critically examines the power and privilege inherent in the systems that support and inform our current schooling structures. Her research on critical middle school studies, culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies, and justice-oriented teacher education has been published in venues such as Teaching & Teacher Education, Inquiry in Education, Research in Middle Level Education Online, Middle Grades Review, Middle Grades Research Journal, and The Handbook of Research in Middle Level Education series.
Dr. Brinegar currently serves as co-editor of Middle Grades Review and as the past chair of the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Courses
- EDML 1890 Foundations of Middle Level Education
- EDML 2890 Teachers & the Teaching Process
- EDML 3700 Middle Grades Organization & Pedagogy
- EDML 3770 Young Adolescent English Language Arts (ELA) Methods
- EDML 4890 Middle Level Teaching Practicum II
- EDML 5770 Culturally Sustaining Middle Level ELA
- EDML 5890 Equitable Middle Grades Learning Environments
Publications
Awards and Achievements
- Outstanding New Community-Engaged Learning Faculty Award, University of Vermont (2025)
- Fellowship, New England Board of Education, Open Education Community of Practice (2021)
- Certificate in Online Teaching, Online Learning Consortium (2021)
- Excellence in Advising Award, Northern Vermont University (2015)
- Excellence in Advising Award, Northern Vermont University (2014)
Formula Grant:
- 2018 PI, Title III Strengthening Institutions Grant, $1.5 million
Internal Grants:
- 2025 Co-PI, CESS Research Grant, Participatory prismatic evaluation: An ontological
examination of language arts curriculum, $7,512 - 2023 Co-PI, CESS Academic Innovation Grant, We are with you beyond graduation: Induction year supports for first-year teachers, $16,230
- 2022 Key Personnel, CESS Research Grant, Developing Social Justice Advocacy Guidelines for Schools and Organizations Serving Youth, $3,900
- 2022 Key Personnel, CESS Research Grant, Centering Indigenous Worldviews in Critical
PBE, $4,000 - 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 PI, Faculty Development Grants, Northern Vermont University