Sarah B. Shear, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Social Studies & Multicultural Education

Sarah B. Shear, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Social Studies & Multicultural Education

Education

  • Ph.D., Education, University of Missouri
  • M.S., Secondary Social Studies Education, University of New Haven
  • B.S., Communications and Public Relations, Boston University

Courses

  • B EDUC 242 U.S. History and the Enduring War for Control of K-12 Curriculum: From Invasion to Insurrection
  • B EDUC 243 U.S. Civics and Economics in K-12 Curriculum: From Compliance to Abolitionist Futures
  • B EDUC 408 Knowing, Teaching, and Assessing in Multicultural Education and Social Studies
  • B EDUC 438 Teaching and Learning Tribal Sovereignty

Research and Scholarship Interests

Settler colonial theory and critical theories of race; Indigenous studies; curriculum studies (U.S. history, geography, civics, and economics); critical race media literacy; critical and post qualitative research methodologies; critical quantitative research methodologies

Creative Interests

Baking and cooking, photography, travel

  • 2024 Kipchoge Neftali Kirkland Social Justice Paper Award, College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies (CUFA-NCSS) – “Realizing rematriation in social studies education” by Turtle Island Social Studies Collective – Turtle Island Social Studies Collective members are Lakota Hobia (Citizen Potawatomi Nation), Meredith McCoy (Turtle Mountain Ojibwe descent), Leilani Sabzalian (Alutiiq) and Sarah B. Shear (Askenazi Jewish, British, and Cajun French ancestry).
  • 2023 Early Career Award, Social Studies Research SIG of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
  • 2023 Best Book Award, Society of Professors of Education, Insurgent social studies: Scholar-educators disrupting erasure & marginality.
  • Shear, S.B. (In progress). “Destiny” revisited: Inclusions and erasures of Indigeneity in K-12 U.S. history standards, 10 years later.
  • Turtle Island Social Studies Collective. (In progress). Realizing rematriation in social studies education.
  • Oto, R., & Shear, S.B. (In progress). The canon of civics education: Troubling the logics of liberalism in social studies civics standards.
  • Shear, S.B.; Ward, A.; Christ, R.C.; & Kuby, C.R. (Accepted). Relational reviewing: Entanglements with(in) the b(l)inded review(er) machine. Reconceptualizing Educational Research Methods.
  • Shear, S.B. (2025). Foreword: On hauntings, tarot, and the (im)possibilities of mercy. In B. Varga (Ed.), Hauntological social studies: More-than-human deviances, imbrications, and proliferations of possibility. Springer.
  • Hawkman, A.M., Rodríguez, N.N., Shear, S.B., & Perkins, A. (2024). The greatest lie(s) ever told: Rush Limbaugh and the white supremacist blueprint in middle grades historical fiction. Theory & Research in Social Education, 52(1), 33-65.
  • Varga, B.A. & Shear, S.B. (2024). Flows of anti-colonialism: (Re)Configurations and emplotments of more-than-witness(es/ing) in the an(thropo/glo)cene. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 21(2), 154-175.
  • Shear, S.B. (2024). Witnessing scar(ring)s: Settler colonial theory for social studies education research. In B. Varga & E. Adams (Eds.), The theory-story reader for social studies (pp. 178-185). Teachers College Press.
  • Shear, S.B. (2024). “More than a cup of coffee”: Co-thinking about settler scholar responsibilities before-during-after curriculum scholarship with/in Indigenous communities. In C. Stanton, B. Hall, & C. Benally (Eds.), Relational scholarship with Indigenous communities: Confronting settler colonial social studies (pp. 45-61). Information Age Publishing.
  • Shear, S.B. & Sabzalian, L. (2024). Settler social studies: On disappointment and hope for the future. In E.W. Ross (Ed.), The social studies curriculum: Purposes, problems, and possibilities (5th Edition) (pp. 179-206). State University of New York Press.
  • Shear, S.B. & Hawkman, A.M. (2023). One class is not enough: Learnings from a critical race media literacy course for elementary teacher education. Multicultural Perspectives, 25(1), 21-29.
  • Turtle Island Social Studies Collective. (2022). The future of social studies is Indigenous. In A.E. Vickery & N.N. Rodriguez (Eds.), Critical race theory and social studies futures: From the nightmare of racial realism to dreaming out loud (pp. 153-163). Teachers College Press.
  • Turtle Island Social Studies Collective. (2022). Insurgence must be Red: Connecting Indigenous studies and social studies education for anticolonial praxis. In S.B. Shear, N.H. Merchant., & W. Au (Eds.), Insurgent social studies: Scholar-educators disrupting erasure & marginality (pp. 9-30). Myers Education Press.
  • Sabzalian, L., Shear, S.B., & Snyder, J. (2021). Standardizing Indigenous erasure: A TribalCrit and QuantCrit analysis of K-12 U.S. civics and government standards. Theory & Research in Social Education, 49(3), 321-359.
  • Shear, S.B., & Krutka, D. (2019). Confronting settler colonialism: Theoretical and methodological questions about social studies research. Theory & Research in Social Education, 47, 29-51.
  • Sabzalian, L., & Shear, S.B. (2018). Confronting colonial blindness in civics education: Recognizing colonization, self-determination, and sovereignty as core knowledge for elementary social studies teacher education. In S.B. Shear, C. Tschida, E. Bellows, L.B. Buchanan, & E. Saylor (Eds.), (Re)Imagining elementary social studies: A controversial issues reader (pp. 153-176). Information Age Publishing.
  • Shear, S.B., Knowles, R., Soden, G., & Castro, A.J. (2015). Manifesting destiny: Re/presentations of Indigenous people in K-12 U.S. history curriculum. Theory & Research in Social Education, 43, 68-101.
  • Shear, S.B. (Under contract). Settler social studies: Tracing supremacist ideology across K-12 state standards. Routledge.
  • Shear, S.B., & Hawkman, A.M. (Under contract). Incorporating critical race media literacy into social studies: A practical approach for elementary teachers. Routledge.
  • Merchant, N.H., Shear, S.B., & Au, W. (Eds.). (2022). Insurgent social studies: Scholar-educators disrupting erasure & marginality. Myers Education Press.
  • Hawkman, A.M., & Shear, S.B. (Eds.). (2020). Marking the “invisible”: Articulating whiteness in social studies education and research. Information Age Publishing.
  • Shear, S.B., Tschida, C., Bellows, E., Brown Buchanan, L., & Saylor, E. (Eds.). (2018). (Re)Imagining elementary social studies: A controversial issues reader. Information Age Publishing.
  • Shear, S.B. (March 2026). “”Destiny” revisited: Inclusions and erasures of Indigeneity in K-12 U.S.history standards, 10 years later.” [Invited Talk]. Humanities Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University.
  • Shear, S.B. (March 2024). “Can social studies rise to meet the moment?: A call for bravery and solidarity to build new worlds and new futures.” [Keynote]. Washington State Council for the Social Studies Spring Conference, Chelan, WA.
  • Shear, S.B. (February 2022). “Unravelling settler structures in education: Why it matters.” [Invited Talk]. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.
  • Shear, S.B. (November 2018). “Manifesting destiny: Representations of Native peoples and nations in U.S. history and civics state-level standards.” [Keynote]. Transforming teaching and learning about American Indians (Event title), National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Washington, D.C.
  • Shear, S.B. (October 2018). “Settler social studies: K-12 curriculum and the (attempted) erasure of Indigenous peoples and nations in U.S. history and civics education.” [Invited Talk]. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Shear, S.B. (September 2018). “Towards transformation: Taking a critical look at how we need to change social studies curriculum.” [Keynote]. Indigenous Peoples’ curriculum day & teach-in (Event title), National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI), Washington, D.C. Event co-sponsored by D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice.
  • Shear, S.B. (November 2025). “Destiny” revisited: Inclusions and erasures of Indigeneity in K-12 U.S.history standards, 10 years later. [Individual Paper]. College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.
  • Oto, R., & Shear, S.B. (November 2025). The canon of civics education: Troubling the logics of liberalism in social studies civics standards. [Individual Paper]. College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Washington, D.C.
  • Brown, S., Shear, S.B., Morris, G.. (October 2025). We’re not done: Social studies, John McCoy, & supporting Indigenous mandates. [Session]. National Indian Education Association Annual Conference, Spokane, WA.
  • Shear, S.B., & Hawkman, A.M. (April 2025). More than (just) something to eat: Reflections on how food invites shared learning and renewed commitments to justice. [Individual Paper]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Denver, CO.
  • Turtle Island Social Studies Collective. (November 2024). Realizing rematriation in social studies. [Individual paper]. College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Boston, MA.
  • Hawkman, A.M., Rodríguez, N.N., Shear, S.B., & Perkins, A. (April 2023). Middle grades miseducation: White supremacist lies in conservative historical fiction. [Individual paper]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
  • Varga, B. A., & Shear, S. B. (April 2022). “Flows of anti-colonialism: (Re)Configurations and emplotments of more-than-witness(es/ing) in the an(thropo/glo)cene,” [Roundtable session]. AERA Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.
  • Sabzalian, L., Shear, S.B., & Snyder, J. (February 2022). Standardizing Indigenous erasure: A TribalCrit and QuantCrit analysis of K-12 U.S. civics and government standards [Symposium paper]. National Council for the Social Studies 100th Anniversary Conference, Virtual/Online.
  • Shear, S.B., Merchant, N.H., & Au, W. (Eds.). (November 2021). Insurgent social studies: Scholar-educators disrupting erasure & marginality [Contemporary Issues Dialogue]. College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Virtual/Online.
  • Shear, S.B. (April 2021). Unravelling the colonizer’s tale: An anticolonial reading of elementary social studies curriculum [Symposium paper]. American Education Research Association Annual Conference, Virtual/Online.
  • Shear, S.B., McCoy, M., Stanton, C.R., Conrad, J., Sabzalian, L., & Snyder, J. (November 2019). Centering Indigeneity in social studies teacher education programs [Contemporary Issues Dialogue]. College & University Faculty Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Austin, TX.
  • McCoy, M., Shear, S.B., & Sabzalian, L. (November 2019). Learning from Indigenous women changemakers in elementary civics [Session]. National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Austin, TX.
  • Lesser, M. & Shear, S.B. (November 2019). American genocide: New documentary on decolonizing hidden US history [Session]. National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference, Austin, TX.
  • Sabzalian, L. & Shear, S.B. (June 2019). Critical orientations for Indigenous studies in elementary social studies methods courses [Featured Session]. Elementary Social Studies Education Summit, Wilmington, NC.
  • McCoy, M., Shear, S.B., Hauff, T., Sabzalian, L., & McCarty, T.L. (June 2019). Centering Indigenous epistemologies against settler colonial logics in K-12 curriculum and instruction [Symposium]. Native American & Indigenous Studies Association Annual Conference, Aotearoa/New Zealand.
  • Shear, S.B., Kuby, C.R., & Christ, R.C. (April 2019). Entanglements with(in) the review(er) machine: How can we (re)view if we are b(l)ind(ed)? [Individual Paper]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Toronto, ONT.
  • Interview, “Trump’s demand for Washington NFL team name change ignores years of psychological data, experts say,” Associated Press, July 2025.
  • Interview, “Right’s new social studies plan vows to fight CRT, wokeness and the “overthrow of America,” Salon, July 2022.
  • Interview, SiriusXM-Doctor Radio’s About Our Kids, with SiriusXM-Doctor Radio hosts, Jess Shatkin, MD, MPH & Lori Evans, PhD from the NYU Langone Health Child Study Center at Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, November 2021.
  • Interview, “These Arizona schools focus on Native culture and traditions rather than Thanksgiving,” Arizona Republic, Phoenix, AZ, November 2019.
  • Mentioned, “Indigenous Peoples’ Day: Rethinking American history,” Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., October 2018.
  • McCoy, M. & Shear, S.B., “This isn’t the first time the United States has split up families [Opinion],” Houston Chronicle, Houston, TX, July 2018.
  • Interview, “Not past tense,” Inlander, Spokane, WA, March 2016.
  • Mentioned, “Check your curriculum: Are Native Americans in the past tense?” Zinn Education Project, November 2015.
  • Interview, “How state standards represent Indigenous Peoples,” Learning for Justice, November 2015.
  • Interview, “Native American youth: Stop teaching our culture like a costume,” The Huffington Post, October 2015.
  • Interview, “All Indians are dead? At least that’s what most schools teach children,” Indian Country Today, November 2014.
  • Shear, S.B. (2024). “Settler colonial theory. In Theory-chats: An intra-active book companion,” Theory-Chats. [YouTube channel]
  • Hawkman, A.M. & Shear, S.B. (2020). “Episode 151: Articulating whiteness in social studies education with Andrea Hawkman and Sarah Shear,” Visions of Education. [podcast]
  • Hawkman, A.M. & Shear, S.B. (2020). “Episode 13: In conversation with Dr. Andrea Hawkman and Dr. Sarah Shear,” Pandemic Pedagogy: Imagining a New “We”. [podcast]
  • Turtle Island Social Studies Collective. (2020). “Episode 10: Groundwork for teaching Indigenous enslavement – w/ the Turtle Island Social Studies Collective,” Teaching Hard History: American Slavery [podcast].
  • Shear, S.B., Sabzalian, L., & Buchanan, L.B. (2018). “Episode 95: Affirming Indigenous sovereignty with Sarah Shear, Leilani Sabzalian, & Lisa Brown Buchanan,” Visions of Education. [podcast]
  • Shear, S.B. (2016). “Episode 15: Indigenous (mis)representations in U.S. history with Sarah Shear,” Visions of Education. [podcast]