Dr. Cowan Pitre researches sociocultural and schooling factors related to the educational achievement of students from diverse social and economic backgrounds. A former K-12 classroom teacher, she taught middle school language arts in Washington, California, and Texas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington, a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Seattle University, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Texas. Before joining the Seattle University community as a faculty member in the Master in Teaching Program, she was an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Her research interests include educational opportunity programs, teacher development, and equity education related to issues of college preparation and readiness among P-12 students from underrepresented groups. She has presented at national and international education conferences and has published articles in each of these areas. Current projects include teacher development and retention in urban poverty environments and the role of peer-mentoring and reflection in urban teacher development.