Anna Yonas
- Assistant Professor, Curriculum & Teaching
- Secondary History & Government Program Coordinator
Contact Info
1122 W. Campus Rd.
Lawrence, KS 66045-3101
Personal Links
Biography —
Anna M. Yonas, an assistant professor of curriculum and teaching, directs the Secondary History, Government, and Social Studies degree at KU. Yonas is affiliated with a variety of programs at KU, including Museum Studies, the Center for Democratic Governance, and the Department of History. Yonas earned her PhD in Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education at the University of Virginia. Her research interests include novice teacher preparation and instructional resources relating to controversial and emotionally challenging topics in social studies. Before joining KU, Yonas was a classroom teacher and administrator for ten years.
Education —
Research —
Research Interests
- Traumatic, difficult, and controversial topics
- Social studies education
- Teacher education and professional development
Teaching —
- C&T 335: Curriculum and Instruction in the Social Studies Classroom
- C&T 420: Teaching Kansas Government and Contemporary Public Policy Issues
- C&T 489: Advanced Teaching Practicum
- C&T 541: Advanced Practices in Teaching Social Studies in Middle/Secondary Schools.
Selected Publications —
- Yonas, A. (2025). “Are we really teaching them how to do better?” Pre-service teachers practice teaching a Holocaust survivor’s testimony. The Social Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377996.2025.2485328
- Cohen, J., Yonas, A., & Wilson, K. (2025). Approximating teaching: A systematic review of the research. Review of Educational Research. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543251368383
- Cohen, J., Wong, V., Liu, Q., Wilson, K., Yonas, A., & Parten, H. (2025). Practice does not make perfect: Experimental evidence on the effectiveness of coaching beginning teachers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 117(7), 1137-1177. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000960
- Fitzpatrick, C., & Yonas, A. (2025). Intersecting faith and history: How religion is portrayed in the Great Lakes states’ educational standards. The Great Lakes Social Studies Journal, 5(1), 59-65. https://www.mcssmi.org/Great-Lakes-Social-Studies-Journal
- Yonas, A., & van Hover, S. (2024). Misleading mandates: The null curriculum of genocide education. The Journal of Social Studies Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/23522798241238463
- Yonas, A. (2024). “Only memories:” Place-based Holocaust education in contemporary Poland. Social Studies Research and Practice, 19(2), 191-208. https://doi.org/10.1108/SSRP-10-2023-0057
- Wilson, K., & Yonas, A. (2024). In search of deliberate practice: Simulating teaching in three teacher education programs. Teachers College Record, 126(9), 47-89. https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681241298842
Grants & Other Funded Activity —
Yonas, A. (2025). Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics Archives Course Enrichment Mini Grant. $500. Funded.
Yonas, A. (2025). A systematic literature review of social studies novice teachers’ professional learning. KU SOEHS Summer Writing Support Award. $5,934. Funded.
Red Corn, A., Herrick, I., Yonas, A. (2025). The southern Plains American Indian teaching pathways project. U.S. Department of Education. $1,513,997.63 funded. Award S299B250057.
Yonas, A. (2023). Doctoral Student Dissertation Innovative, Developmental, Exploratory Research Grant, School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia. $1,000. Funded.
Service —
Dr. Yonas is an active member of many organizations, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), including its College and University Faculty Assembly (CUFA).