Courtney Koestler, Ph.D.

Working with students who spoke 20 different languages and represented 40 countries was a life-changing experience for Dr. Courtney Koestler and has led Koestler to focus on issues of equity, diversity and social justice in mathematics education. Since 1999, Koestler has served as a K-8 public school teacher working both as a classroom teacher and a mathematics specialist and instructional coach. More recently, they have been a university-based teacher educator and researcher and currently serve as the director the OHIO Center for Equity in Mathematics and Science and an Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Ohio University. They have written and conducted research about teacher preparation and professional development (especially in regards to diversity, equity, and justice), developing critical literacy and supporting student and teacher agency, and the Mathematics Common Core Standards.

Koestler says that their experience working with culturally, linguistically and economically diverse students as a public school teacher in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area informed their work as a researcher and teacher educator. They are committed to work towards more welcoming, equitable, and just educational opportunities for children and teachers.

They have participated in and led several research projects funded by the National Science Foundation and other organizations on math education, teacher education and the Common Core. A recent project, Connecting Mathematics to the Real World centers on making mathematics relevant and meaningful by working with teachers to connect to social and political issues. During the 2022-2023 academic year, they worked as a third grade teacher in a local Appalachia school district researching the design and implementation of lessons and units that connected mathematics tasks to real world issues.

An active member of the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, the Ohio Council of Teachers of Mathematics and Ohio Mathematics Education Leadership Council, Koestler is often asked to speak about early childhood and elementary education, and has given numerous presentations about the mathematics education, teacher education, creating safe and equitable spaces for education, and teacher professional development.

“I’m really interested in thinking about education from a justice perspective,” Koestler says. “A lot of people think that neutrality should be a goal in education, but there are always decisions you make as a teacher or policy maker that can shape the way that they (students) experience the classroom or schooling in general.” Koestler works to help prospective teachers understand that neutrality is achievable and that they all have practices and perspectives that impact their work in the classroom. Koestler says teachers must understand the social, cultural and political contexts in which they are educating students.

Koestler directs the OHIO Center for Equity in Mathematics and Science (OCEMS), a center in the Patton College of Education. OCEMS strives to be an integral part of supporting mathematics and science education projects that aim to enrich and improve the teaching and learning of PreK-16 mathematics and science in southeast Ohio and beyond. This vision is achieved by strengthening collaboration, coordination, and communication among Patton College of Education faculty, OHIO faculty in other colleges, PreK-16 educators, and others.

In addition to their work researching and teaching prospective teachers, Koestler serves as a resource and partner for local school districts where they are available to model lessons, observe, consult, co-teach and work with committees. They are also active in LGBTQ education, working with teachers, both prospective and practicing, and families to help create warm, welcoming classroom spaces for all children.