05/04/2026
Before starting his PhD at CU Boulder, Kyle Kopsick taught social studies at a high school in Quito, Ecuador for roughly five years. This experience greatly impacted his life and guided him to further his learning by joining the doctoral program in educational foundations, policy and practice.
“I knew I wanted to draw from anthropology and philosophy to explore how international curricula and sociocultural differences shape pedagogy,” said Kopsick.
Kopsick’s dissertation, titled "Intercultural education (un)realized: How neoliberal and neocolonial pressures constrain educational purpose and practice,” builds upon a year-long ethnographic study in Costa Rica. Kopsick was awarded the 2023-24 Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad fellowship from the Department of Education to complete this work and received the CU Boulder School of Education’s 2026 Outstanding Dissertation award.
Congratulations, Kyle!
Read his story: https://www.colorado.edu/education/2026/05/01/meet-kyle-kopsick-education-researcher-examining-how-teachers-can-educate-across
University of Colorado Boulder
Before starting his PhD at CU Boulder, Kyle Kopsick taught social studies at a high school in Quito, Ecuador for roughly five years. This experience greatly