Kathy Hayes

When Kathy Hayes joined the Peace Corps (Venezuela) in 1983, she had no idea that the experience would completely change her life. She learned about people different from herself, she learned how the U.S. is perceived from outside its borders, and, most of all, she learned that she wanted to spend her life working cross-culturally and for social justice. She am a seasoned researcher with over 30 years of experience researching the educational experiences of disenfranchised populations both nationally and abroad. At USC, she uses my experience in working in Latin America and with Latinos in the second largest school district in the country to teach MAT@USC students about the macro-level contextual issues driving educational policy and practice today, as well as the interpersonal sensitivity and skills most necessary to teach in urban settings.

The past ten years working as a research manager in LAUSD has given her many insights into the inner working of public educational institutions. She is an expert regarding issues pertaining to Spanish-speaking English learners across content areas, including: bilingual education, child development, culturally relevant and responsive education, special education, and pedagogy She has directed dozens of research projects utilizing multi-method approaches to evaluating and researching classroom practice, and has taught Educational Anthropology, Qualitative Methodology and Research Methods in graduate schools at UCLA, CSULA, and USC.