Foster is an educational anthropologist dedicated to understanding and accounting for the social, cultural and structural factors affecting students' educational outcomes. He is also the founding director of ICUSP, the Institute for Community, University and School Partnerships. He has published extensively in areas related to African American students' academic engagement and achievement, including examinations of the work of the late anthropologist John Uzo Ogbu, serving students displaced by Hurricane Katrina, and Black student identity and community.
Foster believes in rich ethnographic work as an important basis for understanding students' academic lives. He also believes in action oriented research and in institution building as means to facilitate positive changes in communities and schools. As an integral part of his scholarly vision, Foster collaborates with students, teachers, principals and others to collectively develop programs. He is the co-founder of COBRA (Community of Brothers in Revolutionary Alliance), which predominantly serves African American and Latino boys in Title I high schools and promotes their academic and leadership development. In 2006 Dr. Foster was named the LBJ Presidential Library Faculty volunteer of the year.
Ph.D.
in Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2001
M.A.
in Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, 1994
B.A.
in Anthropology, Economics, The College of William and Mary, 1991
African American student achievement; intersection of sports and academics; impact of race and gender on student academic outcomes; cultural theory in education; Improvement of academic outcomes for African American, Latina/o and other students; education; race relations
Downloadable vita - www.edb.utexas.edu/education/assets/files/ci/cvs/foster_kevin.pdf
Foster, K., Blakes, Tifani. & McKay, Jenny. (2008). Documenting Tragedy and Resilience: The Importance of Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke. Urban Education, 43(4), 488-496. (View)
Foster, K. (2008). The Worst Kept Secret: Public Debates and Communal Concerns surrounding Underground Pledging among Black Fraternities and Sororities. Transforming Anthropology, 16(1), 3-19. (View)
Foster, K. (2008). orward Looking Criticisms: Critiques and enhancements for the next generation of Cultural Ecological Theory. Minority Status, Identity, and Schooling (, pp. 575-590): Lawrence Erlbaum & Associates. (View)
Foster, K. (2007). Katrina's Kids or Ours?: The experience of displaced New Orleans students in their new schools and communities. Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society, 9(1), 45-52. (View)
Foster, K. (2006). Bridging Troubled Waters: Principles for teaching times of crisis. Perspectives on Urban Education, 4(2). (View)
Foster, K. (2006). Austin Shelter Notes; (fieldnotes from Red Cross shelter in Austin). Transforming Anthropology, 14(1), 26-30.
Foster, K. (2005). Narratives of the Social Scientist: Understanding the work of John Ogbu. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 18(5), 565-580. (View)
Foster, K. (2005). Gods or Vermin: Alternative Readings of the African American Experience among African and African American College students. Transforming Anthropology, 13(1), 34-46. (View)
Foster, K. (2005). Diet of Disparagement: The Racial Experiences of Black Students in a Predominantly White University. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 18(4), 489-505. (View)
Foster, K. (2005). How do you ensure the fair consideration of a Complex Ancestor? Multiple approaches to asssessing the work and legacy of John Ogbu. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 18(5), 559-564. (View)
Foster, K. (2004). Coming to terms: A Discussion of John Ogbu's Cultural-Ecological Theory of Minority Academic Achievement. Intercultural Education, 15(4), 369-384. (View)
Foster, K. (2003). Panopticonics: The Control and Surveillance of Black Female Athletes in a Collegiate Athletic Department. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 34(2), 300-323. (View)
Foster, K. (2003). Contours of Community: The Formation and Maintenance of Black Student Community on a Predominantly White Campus. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 6(3), 265-281. (View)
Akins Award
- Austin Independent School District (2009)
Executive Branch Policy Fellow
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (2009 - 2010)
Outstanding Faculty Volunteer
- The University of Texas at Austin, LBJ Presidential Library and UT Volunteer and Learning Center (2006)
