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about Kirsten
She is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Wheaton College, where she teaches about the history of education in America and contemporary school reform. She has been an educational consultant to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a case writer for the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and writes frequently about education. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and four teenage children. Her new book, The Wounds of Schooling (Teachers College Press, 2008) explores the ways in which contemporary schooling can alienate students from experiences of pleasure and self-satisfaction in learning. tell your storyKirsten would love to hear from individuals who wish to tell her their story. You can do that through the contact form on this website, or just click here to go directly to the form. biographical statementAs a college instructor I am strongly committed to leveling some of the institutionally-imposed hierarchy that exists in traditional professor/student relationships. I tend to favor untraditional forms of assessment (portfolios and research projects) as opposed to midterms and multiple-choice answer finals. I also try to encourage student participation and input in many aspects of course building and course administration. I am in a quest to deepen and intensify the teacher/student connection, and to raise the level of rigor and cognitive demand of my classes, without resorting to punitive, low-level tests and other teacher-centered, teacher-monitored activities. I also consult with school administrators, principals and
teachers in several schools in the greater Boston and New York
area, specializing in alternative high schools that serve
teenagers and young adults who have not succeeded in traditional
academic environments. Much of my work as a consultant involves
“re-envisioning” and supporting school leaders and teachers, who
often find their work chaotic, overwhelming and fracturing. Part
of my job as a consultant is not only to help solve real,
on-the-ground problems of school administration and leadership,
but also to remind school leaders and teachers why the work is
important, what their commitment is to it, and how not to blame
and victimize the students whom they are committed to serving. |
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Kirsten Olson received a doctorate from the Harvard Graduate
School of Education in 2005.
At the Harvard Graduate School of Education her
qualifying paper on John Holt and Jonathan Kozol, only one of
two in her year to receive a distinction, became the basis for
her work,