Christopher Knaus, PhD

Associate Professor

Department of Educational Leadership

E-mail:

chris.knaus@csueastbay.edu

Phone:

(510) 885-2247

Office:

AE 203

Office Hours:

by appointment (email me!)

Born and raised in rural poverty, violence, and with a strong single mother, I knew early on that schools were preparing me to drop out ignorant of the systemic oppression that shaped the society I struggled to make sense of. Eventually - and in part due to white male privilege - I navigated my way through to my doctorate, desperate to understand why our schools and colleges are so exclusive, socially aloof, and distant from what happens to the vast majority of people in this world.

I work with urban high school students, teachers, and school and community leaders to center youth voice as a more relevant purpose of education (than benign tests that measure social class, race, and language). I strive to help us all listen to urban youth and those who are structurally excluded, because those who are not allowed access to shaping our schools often have the most insight into how to transform our violent, poverty-inducing world.

Professional Focus

My research, teaching, and service focus on four interrelated arenas, all designed to address racism in schools.

1) Students; The impact of developing a critical, culturally rooted voice in urban students, particularly when those youth are afforded opportunities to express themselves and what they see in the world as part of the way in which schools prepare youth to navigate and dismantle the oppressive world they live;

2) Teachers; Development of and research on educator pipelines that identify and nurture culturally responsive urban educators of color;

3) Educational Leaders; Development of urban educators who model and foster collaboration, community-engagement, and hands-on culturally responsive leadership; and

4) Critical Race Theory in Education; Application of critical race theory to the work of students, teachers, and educators in ways that transform research, academia, schools, and publication processes to reflect the voices of oppressed peoples throughout the world, and particularly in urban arenas.

Education

• BA Communication, UC Davis
• MA Communication, Washington State University
• PhD Education, University of Washington

Publications

Knaus, C. (2013). Developing Urban Youth Voice: A Framework for Culturally Responsive Classrooms. In R. Brock & G. S. Goodman (Eds.), School Sucks! Arguments for School Change in Urban Education, 9-42. New York: Peter Lang.

Knaus, C. (2013). You Are the Ones Who Need to Hear Us: The Role of Youth Voice in a Democracy. In R. Brock & G. S. Goodman (Eds.), School Sucks! Arguments for School Change in Urban Education, 64-98. New York: Peter Lang.

Bruna, K. R., Chang, H., Knaus, C., & Valdiviezo, L. A. (2013). Maneuvering Multiple Meanings: A Metalogue on Observing the Multicultural Cultural Dialogue. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 14(3), Anniversary Issue: Multicultural Education-Past, Present, and Future. Available at: http://ijme-journal.blogspot.com/2013/01/editors-corner-metalogue-for-5th.html

Knaus, C. B. (2012). Educational Genocide: Examining the Impact of National Education Policy on African American Communities. ECI Interdisciplinary Journal for Legal and Social Policy, Vol 2(1), Article 1. Available at: http://ecipublications.org/ijlsp/vol2/iss1/1.

Knaus, C. B. (2012). Teaching for Voice: Instructional Strategies for Empowering Youth. In L. Ramirez and O. M. Gallardo (Eds.), Multicultural Education in Practice: Transforming Communities One at a Time. Covina, CA: California Association for Bilingual Education.

Rogers-Ard, R., Knaus, C. B., Epstein, K. K., & Mayfield, K. (2012). Racial Diversity Sounds Nice; Systems Transformation, Not So Much! Developing Teachers of Color. Urban Education.

Knaus, C. B. (2011). Shut Up and Listen: Teaching Writing that Counts to Urban Students. New York: Peter Lang.

Knaus, C. B. (2010). One Size Does Not Fit All: Why Standardized Student Assessments Should Not Guide Curriculum and Instruction. In C. Russo (Ed.), Debating Issues in American Education. Sage Publications.

Knaus, C. B. (2010). From SNCC to Black Studies: The Intellectual Odyssey of Hardy Frye. In R. Williams (Ed.), Forty and Counting: An Anthology Commemorating Four Decades of the African American Studies Department at the University of California, Berkeley, 47-53.

Knaus, C. B. (2009). Shut up and listen: Applied critical race theory in the classroom. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 12(2), 133-154.

Knaus, C. B. (2007). Still Segregated, Still Unequal: Analyzing the Impact of No Child Left Behind on African American Students. State of Black America, 2007. National Urban League.

Knaus, C. B. (2007). Those Aren't Options: Examining the Impact of No Child Left Behind's Parental Involvement Provisions. Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity. University of California.

Knaus, C. B. (2006). Race, Racism, and Multiraciality in American Education. Washinton, DC: Academica Press.

Presentations

Knaus, C. B. (2013). Leadership Development in Urban Schools: An Applied Critical Race Study. Presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.

Knaus, C. B., Ard. R. R. A., & St. Roseman, P. (2012). Preparing and Retaining Teachers of Color: Follow-Up to the NAME Summer Institute. Intensive Institute presented to the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Multicultural Education, Philadelphia, PA.

Knaus, C. B., & Marsh, T. (2012). Fostering Movements or Silencing Voices: Questioning the Role of Education in Egypt and South Africa. Presented to the National Association of Multicultural Education, Philadelphia, PA.

Knaus, C. B. (2012). Stagnant Transformation: Integrating Community Leadership into Educational Reform Efforts. Keynote Address to South African Basic Education Conference, Durban, Sout Africa.

Rogers-Ard, R., Epstein, K. K., Mayfield, K., Knaus, C. B., & St. Roseman, P. (2012). Recruiting and Retaining Diverse Teachers of Color in an Urban District. Presented to the National Association for Multicultural Education's Summer Institute: Addressing the Demographic Imperative: Recruiting and Preparing a Diverse and Highly Effective Teaching Force. Northern Illinois University, De Kalb, IL. 

Knaus, C. B. (2011). “I might have stayed in school if my teachers were from the ‘hood”: Developing Urban Educators of Color in Racist Educational Systems. Presented to Breaking Barriers 2: Teacher Preparation and the Future of School-Age Black Males, at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Marsh, T., Amah, I., Jain, D., & Knaus, C. B. (2011). Toward a Critical Race Leadership Across the P-20 Pipeline. Presented to the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Rogers-Ard, R., Mayfield, K., Epstein, K. K., & Knaus, C. (2011). Creating a Local, Diverse, Permanent Teaching Force. Presented to the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Alternative Certification, Chicago.

Knaus, C. B., & Reed, K. (2010). Racism and the Achievement Gap. Presented to the 2nd Annual Leadership and Social Justice Conference, UC Berkeley, CA.

Knaus, C. B., Rogers-Ard, R., & Mayfield, K. (2010). Critical Race Theory in Education: Creating a Local, Diverse, Permanent Teaching Workforce. Presented to the Effective Pathways to Teaching Conference, Washington, DC.

Knaus, C. B. (2009). Aint Always About the Teacher: Centering Student Voice in Educational Reform. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Multicultural Education, Denver, CO.

Knaus, C. B., Rogers-Ard, R., Scott, A., Mayfield, K., & Marsh, T. (2009). Critical Race Theory in Education: Community Resistance through Sustained Collaboration. Presented to the 6^th International Conference on Teacher Education and Social Justice in Chicago.

Rogers-Ard, R. & Knaus, C. B. (2009). Living Critical Race Theory: Creating Collaborative Educator Training Programs. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association for Multicultural Education, Denver, CO.

Knaus, C. B., Gonzales, J., Woodard, R., Swearington, T., & Sessoms-Howell, T. (2008). Resisting Racism through Developing Voice. Presented to the Annual Meeting of Teachers 4 Social Justice, San Francisco, CA.

Knaus, C. B., & Martinez, C. (2007). Student Voice in the Classroom: Developing Meaningful Academic Resistance to Silencing. Presented to the Annual Meeting of Teachers 4 Social Justice, San Francisco, CA.

Grant Awards

Fulbright Scholar Award to South Africa (2011-12). University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

Service

Service on several community boards, school development, and support to educators across the globe.

Other Accomplishments

Associate Editor, International Journal of Multicultural Education

Conference Planning Committee and Proposal Reviewer, National Association for Multicultural Education

Conference Proposal Reviewer, American Educational Research Association

Journal Reviewer, Education and Urban Society, Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Urban Education

Page Last Updated: May 6, 2013