Dr. Karen Kohler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, where she also serves as Program Coordinator. She earned her EdD in Reading and Literacy from Capella University, an MEd in Elementary Education from Texas State University, and a BA in Social Studies and Spanish from California State University, Chico.

Dr. Kohlers research and teaching center on literacy, dyslexia, and educator preparation, with particular attention to how teacher candidates learn to teach and support struggling readers. Her work is grounded in the conviction that every child deserves a good teacher and the right to learn to read. She serves as Co-Lead Researcher for City Education Partners collaboration with US PREP Pipeline to Leadership initiative and leads Celebrate Dyslexia, a San Antonio nonprofit where she directs the development of open educational resources for structured literacy and dyslexia intervention. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist.

Her scholarship has appeared in journals including the Journal of Teacher Education and Educators and the Journal for Multicultural Education, and she has presented at national and international conferences such as the American Educational Research Association and the Learning Disabilities Association of America. Her work has been supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Education, the Charles Butt Foundation, and US PREP, among others.

Dr. Kohler previously taught in North East and Comal Independent School Districts, and her K-12 experience continues to inform her work preparing future educators. She is President of the Learning Disabilities Association of Texas and a member of the American Educational Research Association, the Association of Teacher Educators, and the International Literacy Association.