Margaret Eisenhart

Margaret A. Eisenhart is University Distinguished Professor Emerita of Educational Foundations and Research Methodology at the University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, she specializes in educational anthropology and ethnographic research methods. Her research focuses on the social and cultural experiences of students in- and outside of U.S. schools and on applications of ethnographic methodology in educational research. She has written extensively on racial dynamics and identities among elementary school students; gender imagery and relationships among college students; educational ethnography; and, most recently, student experiences of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in middle and high schools. From 1999-2013, she developed, directed, and conducted research on after-school programs in computing and engineering for high school girls of color with little exposure to these subject areas. Her ethnographic, longitudinal, and action-oriented work has been generously funded by the National Science Foundation. Her most recent studies and writings (many with Lois Weis) examine underrepresented high school students’ opportunities to learn STEM and the subsequent pathways they take to college and a career. Her latest book is entitled, STEM Education Reform in Urban High Schools, with Lois Weis (Harvard Education Press, 2022).