Aaron Kuntz is the dean of FIU's School of Education and Human Development and holds the Frost Professorship of Education and Human Development. He grounds his research in empirical questions about the effect of research and teaching practices in the K-16 arena, faculty work in postsecondary institutions, and the impact of the built environment on learning.
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More than just strategies for safety and security, the buildings and classrooms our students encounter both generate and curtail possibilities for enhanced learning. I share examples of how building design and use impact education in both K-12 and higher education environments.
Today’s educational environments are saturated with data. Teachers, administrators, and students alike are often characterized by these data as “successful,” “falling behind,” or “in need of improvement.” Rarely are those defined by these data given an opportunity to speak back to them. I share a perspective for how all members of the educational community can engage in educational research not by simply achieving new technical skills but by asking different questions.
We make a mistake when we isolate educational levels from one another. Whether students are at the pre-K, elementary, middle, high, or university levels, they are impacted by educational policies, decisions, and practices that occur on all levels. Rather than understand our educational systems linearly (moving from elementary school up to middle school, for example) I advocate for an ecological approach. As a result, notions of educational success change, requiring that we rethink school leadership in creative ways.
Dr. Aaron M. Kuntz is Dean of the School of Education and Human Development and also holds the Frost Professorship of Education and Human Development at Florida International University. Before becoming Dean, Dr. Kuntz served for three years as Chair of the Department of Counseling, Recreation, and School Psychology. Previous to FIU, Dr. Kuntz was a faculty member at the University of Alabama where he was awarded the prestigious President’s Research Award in 2017 and served as Chair of the Department of Educational Studies from 2014-2020. As a professor of research methodology, Dr. Kuntz has published over 50 peer-reviewed publications, including five books. His most recent book, Qualitative Inquiry, Cartography, & the Promise of Material Change, was awarded the 2020 Outstanding Book Award from the Qualitative SIG of the American Educational Research Association.
A strong advocate for public schooling, Dr. Kuntz grounds his research in empirical questions about the effect of research and teaching practices in the K-16 arena, faculty work in postsecondary institutions, and the impact of the built environment on learning. Dr. Kuntz’s scholarly and administrative activities have been recognized through a Service Award (FIU CASE), Community Engagement Award (University of Alabama), and award for Faculty Excellence in Teaching (University of Alabama).
Aaron Kuntz's "Qualitative Inquiry, Cartography, and the Promise of Material Change" challenges readers to consider inquiry as a mode of ethically engaged citizenship with implications for resisting our contemporary moment towards a more equitable future.
