Biography
Michael Kokozos is the associate director of teaching, learning, & historical foundations in the Independent School Teaching Residency (ISTR) program. In addition to his role at ISTR, Dr. Kokozos is a curriculum consultant for North Carolina State University and the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. He also teaches high school students for the Global Online Academy and college courses at North Carolina State University.
Dr. Kokozos earned his bachelor’s degree (sociology and psychology) and master’s degree (international development) from New York University and his Ph.D. in education, culture, and society from the University of Pennsylvania. Before enrolling at Penn GSE, Dr. Kokozos taught and researched abroad in Greece, Turkey, and Canada. He was recently a part of the inaugural New York Times Teaching Project, a Highlights Foundation scholarship recipient, and a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) summer seminar participant, all of which have enriched his approach to education and curriculum development.
He is the author of the forthcoming book You Belong Here! A Teacher’s Guide to Making Your Classroom a Home for LGBTQ+ Students (Routledge, under contract), and co-author of both the forthcoming book The Community-Engaged Classroom (Routledge, under contract) and the recently published Teaching Storytelling for Classrooms & Communities: Amplifying Youth Voice & Inspiring Social Change (Routledge, 2025).