Kirsten Tivaringe

Dr. Kirsten Musetti Tivaringe is an Assistant Teaching Professor of Literacy in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Missouri-Columbia. She currently serves as the Literacy Emphasis Area Leader and currently teaches courses for both master’s and undergraduate students.

Dr. Tivaringe has spent over a decade in the field of education, having occupied varying roles as a public elementary school teacher in Chicago Public Schools, literacy curriculum developer, and as a consultant in national and international classrooms. Dr. Tivaringe is passionate about supporting pre-service and in-service teachers in examining their teaching practices and equipping them with Scientific Approaches to Reading Instruction. Additionally, her passion in children’s literature for diversifying classroom libraries goes beyond mere adoption of multicultural literature, supporting teachers to apply critical perspectives to the selection, analysis, and intentional teaching of multicultural children’s literature as a tool to enact principles and practices of equity-oriented, culturally relevant instruction.

Dr. Tivaringe has been recognized with several literacy and teaching awards, including but not limited to: the University of Colorado Boulder, Outstanding Teaching Award, 2022, University of Colorado Boulder, Student Organization Advisor of the Year Award, 2020, and International Literacy Association, Top 30 Under 30, 2019.