Associate Professor, Department Chair
Leadership, Literacy, and Social Foundations
Doctor of Philosophy in History and Educational Policy Studies | University of Wisconsin-Madison (2017)
Bachelor of Arts in History | University of Missouri-Columbia (2008)
Areas of Expertise:
- History of Education
- Multicultural Education
- Education for Social Justice
Kyle P. Steele teaches courses in the history of education, multicultural education, and education for social justice. He is passionate about working with future educators, in particular helping them reflect on how their work in schools is intimately connected to the communities they serve.
His own research is primarily on the history of the American high school, as both an educational and cultural institution, and the ways that high school systems have struggled with inclusivity and equity since their beginnings. His first book,
Making a Mass Institution: Indianapolis and the American High School (Rutgers University Press, 2020), describes how Indianapolis, Indiana created a divided and unjust system of high schools over the course of the twentieth century, one that effectively sorted students geographically, economically, and racially. He is currently editing a book,
New Perspectives on the History of the Twentieth-Century American High School (under contract with Palgrave Macmillian Press), a collection of original essays that reevaluate the importance of the high school curriculum, elevate the experiences of high school students and their youth culture, and give voice to communities of color (both students and families) in their efforts to achieve equity within inequitable systems.
A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Kyle has a BA from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a joint PhD (History and Educational Policy Studies) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to moving to Wisconsin, he taught the world’s most delightful fourth and fifth graders in South City St. Louis.
Date of First Employment at UW Oshkosh: September 2017
Years of P-12 Experience: 2 years
Classes Typically Taught:
- Foundations of Multicultural Education
- Foundations of American Education
