COE Faculty Profile

William C. Kyle, Jr.
E. Desmond Lee Family Professor of Science Education
Division of Teaching and Learning

William C. Kyle, Jr. is the E. Desmond Lee Family Professor of Science Education I. He received a BS in Biology from LeMoyne College (Syracuse, NY) and a MS and PhD in Science Education from The University of Iowa. Prior to joining the UM-St. Louis faculty in 1996, Professor Kyle taught middle and high school science in New York and Iowa and between 1982 and 1996 he served as a faculty member at the University of Texas – Arlington, University of Connecticut, and Purdue University.

Professor Kyle’s scholarship focuses on the implementation and evaluation of curricular reform, and the associated implications of such reform for teacher education and professional development. His work is grounded in the context of urban schools and communities and developing countries. He is particularly interested in the socio-cultural, political, and economic issues associated with school reform and the prospects for equity in the process of schooling. Most recently he has been engaged in projects to enhance the science and technology skills of youth and community members in high poverty communities in St. Louis and sub-Sahara Africa (refer to http://stc.umsl.edu for an overview of one such program).

Professor Kyle has co-authored a K-6 elementary science text series and a science skills resource series (SRA/McGraw Hill). Professor Kyle has authored and / or contributed to over 30 monographs / book chapters and over 50 articles in refereed journals; he has delivered more than 150 presentations at conferences, including several keynote addresses at international conferences and invited lectures at international universities. In 2003, a co-authored article originally published in 1983, titled “The effects of new science curricula on student performance,” was selected by a panel of science education researchers as one of the thirteen “most influential articles that had appeared in the first 40 years” of publication of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching.

Professor Kyle is the recipient of numerous awards and honors for his scholarship, teaching and service, including the 1990 Outstanding Science Educator Award presented by the Association for the Education of Teachers of Science. Professor Kyle is past editor of the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and currently he serves on the editorial board for several international journals.

Since 1994, Professor Kyle has collaborated with the University of KwaZulu - Natal in South Africa (formerly the University of Durban – Westville) on several program development and community based projects. He has collaborated with science educators throughout sub-Sahara Africa in the context of his work with the African Forum for Children’s Literacy in Science and Technology (AFCLIST). In 2002 Professor Kyle was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors and a Trustee of AFCLIST and AFCLIST USA. In July 2004 Professor Kyle was elected to a 2-year term on the Board of Directors of the International Organization for Science and Technology Education (IOSTE).

• At-Risk Students
• Computers and Learning
• Constructivism
• Critical Theory
• Cross-Cultural Studies
• Educational Reform
• Equity
• International Education/Studies
• Professional Development
• Science Education
• Social Context
• Urban Education