Short Biography & Significant Contribution
Karen Mundy is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and has recently been appointed Associate Dean of Research. She is the founder and Co-Chair of the Canadian Global Campaign for Education and directs the Comparative, International and Development Education Centre (CIDEC) at OISE. She received her MA in Adult Education and PhD in Sociology of Education and Comparative Education from the University of Toronto.
Karen's contribution to the field proves significant and multifaceted and is evidenced by her publications, research projects, awards and distinctions, as well as the academic and professional positions she has held throughout her career. Karen has published five books and more than four dozen articles and book chapters. She has contributed to international policy papers and reports, and has acted as an external reviewer of the World Bank's education activities in Africa as well as an analyst of Canada's aid effectiveness agenda in education.
The central theme of Karen's research is "global governance" in the field of education with specific interests including the global politics of "education for all" programs and policies; educational policy and reform in Sub-Saharan Africa; the role of civil society organizations in educational change; and global citizenship education in Canadian schools. Her research projects include "Unfortunately necessary or inherently desirable: understanding World Bank advocacy for a private role in education," commissioned by the Open Society Institute and has worked on research with organizations such as the Hewlett Foundation, the International Development Research Centre, CIDA, UNESCO, and Unicef.
Her research and publications have been recognized and celebrated with honors such as the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Young Canadian Researchers Award in 1994, the Bereday Award for best article of the year in the Comparative Education Review in 1999, as well as holding the position of Visiting Research Professor at the Institute of Metropolitan and International Development Studies at the University of Amsterdam for the 2009-2010 academic year.
Karen, who began her career as a teacher, researcher and consultant, is committed to playing an active role in policy dialogue about education and international development. In 2002, she was described by Time Magazine as among Canada's 10 best educators and is the current Vice President of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). More information about Karen's research, achievements, professional and academic background as well as her blog can be found at here.
Educational Background
BA (Honors) in English and History from Concordia University (1985)
Master of Arts in Adult Education with a specialization in Comparative Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto (1992)
Doctor of Philosophy, Sociology of Education and Comparative Education from OISE, University of Toronto (1996)
Professional Background
Assistant Professor, International and Comparative Education at Stanford University School of Education (1996-2002)
Director, Comparative International and Development Education Centre (CIDEC) (2003-Present)
Co-Director, Collaborative Graduate Degree Program in Comparative, International and Development Education (CIDE) (2003-Present)
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto (2002-Present)
Chair and Founder, Canadian Global Campaign for Education (CGCE) (2004-2008)
Co-Chair, Canadian Global Campaign for Education (2010-Present)
Research Consultant on Education and International Development (1995-Present)
Affiliations (associations, organizations, institutions)
Guest Research Professor, Institute of International Education, Stockholm Sweden (Fall 2008)
Visiting Research Professor, Institute of Metropolitan and International Development Studies (AMIDSt), University of Amsterdam (2009/10)
Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) (2002-Present)
Director, Comparative International and Development Education Centre (CIDEC) (2003-Present)
Co-Chair, Canadian Global Campaign for Education
Vice President, Comparative and International Education Society (member since 1992)
Selected Publications
Moulton, J., Mundy, K., Welmond, M., & Williams, J. (2002). Education Reforms in Sub-Saharan Africa: Paradigm Lost? Westport: Greenwood Press. [Co-equalauthoredbook]. 250 pages.
Mundy, K. (2006). "Education for All and the New Development Compact." Review of Education. Vol. 52, pp. 23-48.
Mundy, K. (2007). "Global Governance, Educational Change." Comparative Education. Vol. 43(3), pp. 39-58.
Mundy, K. (2008). "Education for All, Africa, and the Comparative Sociology of Schooling." Chapter 3, in K. Mundy, K. Bickmore R. Hayhoe, M. Madden & K. Madjidi (Eds.), Comparative Education: Issues for Teachers. New York and Toronto: Teachers College Press & Canadian Scholars Press. Pp 49-76.
Mundy, K. 2009. Book Review: The New Institutionalism in Education, edited by Heinz-Dieter Meyer and Brian Rowan. Albany: State University Press of New York, 2006.Comparative Education Review 53(1), January: pp. 150-152.
Mundy, K.(2010)."Education for All and the Global Governors." In M. Finnemore, D. Avant and S. Sell, Eds. Who Governs the Globe? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 333-355.
Mundy, K. and S. Dryden Peterson. (Eds). (2011). Educating Children in Conflict Zones: Essays in Honour of Jackie Kirk. New York: Teachers College Press. 336 pp.
Mundy, K. and Holger Daun. 2011. Educational Governance and Participation: with a Focus on Developing Countries. Institute of International Education Report #120. Stockholm: Stockholm University. Retrieved from http://www.interped.su.se/content/1/c6/06/20/08/Educational_Governance_and_Participation.pdf
Created: 11/20/2012
Updated: 12/4/2012
Contributed By: Alexis Alu, Lehigh University\