J. Spencer Clark, Kansas Hub Contact, Manhattan, KS

J. Spencer Clark is a Professor of Curriculum Studies in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Director of the Rural Education Center (REC) in the College of Education at Kansas State University (K-State). In his role as professor, he has received several departmental, college and university-wide awards for his excellence in teaching. He teaches a variety of graduate courses focused on curriculum theory, educational equity, educational history and research methods and coordinates the Ed.D. in curriculum and Instruction program, along with a couple other academic programs. In his role as Director of the REC, Dr. Clark works with his colleagues to provide opportunities and resources for innovative place-based and inquiry-based learning experiences related to STEAM and Career and Technical Education (CTE) in rural schools. All of his work at the REC is supported through grant funding. The REC also serves as the Kansas state representative for the National Rural Education Association (NREA) and home of the statewide rural school advocacy group Schools for Quality Education (SQE). Clark also publishes regularly with recent books on the history of civic education and action research methods, as well as journal articles and book chapters on curriculum theory and educational equity. He serves on the editorial board for two impact factored journals. His work with rural schools brings together his teaching and research to address teacher shortages in rural communities to support the land-grant mission at K-State.

Dr. Clark has taught elementary, middle, and secondary students in mostly suburban and urban contests for over 7 years. He has worked in higher education for the past 15 years and has worked with rural schools and teachers in Indiana, Utah, and Kansas. He has also worked with teachers and faculty internationally from Afghanistan, Armenia, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Kazakhstan, Malawi, North Macedonia, South Korea, and Turkey. He enjoys traveling both domestically and internationally with his spouse and child.

Contact J. Spencer by email here.