Annie Allen’s research and teaching has focused on how children and youth learn and use language and literacies in educational contexts in and out-of-schools, and how educators and youth workers can use educational theory and research to understand and support youth and children. She has conducted qualitative research on adolescents social and academic trajectories in high school, a classroom discourse study of spoken word poetry curriculum in a high school English classroom, and examinations of young people’s interests and identity development through spoken word poetry and activism outside of school. Most recently, since coming to CU Boulder, she has worked as an Instructor and Research Associate with Kris Gutierrez to launch and conduct learning research on an innovative after-school program that brings CU undergraduates and elementary students from non-dominant groups together around engaging STEM and new media content.
