education

    • Minor, Queer Studies

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    • Concentration: Diversity & Equity in Education

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

    • Concentration: Vocal Pedagogy

    • Columbia University, Teachers College

    • École Normale de Musique de Paris

    • Minor, Humanities

    • California Institute of the Arts

appointments

    • Senior Director, Research & Evaluation | The Colton Institute @ NJPAC, 2024–pres.

    • Acting Senior Director, Faculty & Creative Practice | New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 2024–2025

    • Postdoctoral Scholar, Inclusive Social Sciences | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2026–pres.

    • Visiting Scholar, Urban Education | Rutgers University–Newark, 2024–pres.

    • Instructor, College of Education | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2022–2025

    • Instructor, Music & Music Education | Columbia University, Teachers College, 2019–2020

    • Professional Development Facilitator | Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Chicago, 2023

    • Head of Youth Instruction, Faculty | Eleonor England Studio, 2020–2022

    • Music & Theatre Faculty | Broadway Training Center of Westchester, 2017–2019

    • Teaching Artist | Inside Broadway, 2016–2017

    • Teaching Artist | CalArts Community Arts Partnership, 2012–2014

    • LGBTQ+ Content Expert & Research Consultant | EKHurh Consulting, 2026

    • Research Advisor | Be the Transformational Change, 2025–2026

    • Education Policy Researcher | Glisten (formerly GLSEN), 2024

    • Research Advisory Board Member | Arts Administrators of Color, 2023–2024

publications

    • Wilson, A., & Masamitsu, T. (2025). Tippin’ the tightrope: Forces that push and pull social studies teachers’ justice-centered praxes. Journal of Social Studies Research, 49(3), 235–248. 

    • Masamitsu, T. (2024). Unpacking legal advancements for Asian American students: A political discourse analysis of Illinois’s House Bill 376. Educational Policy, 38(6), 1259–1281.  

    • Masamitsu, T.  (2023). How education research perceives queer Asian American youths: A  literature review. International Journal of LGBTQ+ Youth Studies, 22(2), 161–182. 

    • Masamitsu, T. (2023). Florida’s House Bill 1557: How we got here. American Educational  History Journal, 50(1–2), 47–61.

    • Masamitsu, T. (invited). Rupturing the binary: Contemporary queer Asian America. In V. Pang, Y. Pak, & C. Her (Eds.), Still here, still resisting, still strong: Asian American education and community. Bloomsbury Press. 

    • Masamitsu, T. & Masamitsu, C. (invited). Culturally responsive for whom? Teachers’ critical  reflections as functional policy analysis. In Bunch, M., Johnson, L. & Pak, Y. (Eds.), Creating culturally responsive learning spaces: Collective voices and shared practices for change. Routledge. 

    • Masamitsu, T. (2025). Vocal music education in queer Asian America. In C. Cayari, J.  Thompson, & R. Rajan (Eds.), If colors could be heard: Narratives about racial identity in music education (pp. 226–235). Intellect Books. 

    • Bunch, M., & Masamitsu, T. (2024). Musical storytelling: Perspectives, solidarity, and resistance during the 1960s. M. Bunch, The magnitude of us: An educator’s guide to creating collaborative and culturally responsive classrooms. Teachers College Press. 

      • Winner: Society of Education Professors Outstanding Book Award

    • Masamitsu, T. (2021). Review: Writing the school house blues: Literacy, equity, and belonging in a child’s early schooling. Vitae Scholasticae, 38(1–2), 129–133.

    • Masamitsu, T. (2025). Intersectionality in Asian American Studies. In Mosaic: Themes in Asian American Studies. (pp. 290–305), Gibbs Smith Education. 

      • Nominee: Textbook and Academic Authors Association's Outstanding New Textbook

    • Masamitsu, T. (2024). The Asian American Movement. In Voices: An Ethnic Studies Reader. 

      Gibbs Smith Education. 

      • Winner: Textbook and Academic Authors Association’s Most Promising New Textbook

    • Masamitsu, T. (under review). Studying queer Asian America: A case for queer-raciolinguistics in policy analysis. Submitted to University Press.

    • Masamitsu, T., Mawhinney, L., Porterfield, L., Auffant, N., & Lipham, K. (under review). “Bloom where you are planted”: Teaching artist cultivation in a novel certificate program.  Submitted to Journal.

    • Lyra, K., Masamitsu, T., & Pulusan, S. (under review). “What the heck did I learn here?”: Agency, arts integration, and the professional development paradox.

    • Masamitsu, T., Auffant, N., Mawhinney, L., & Porterfield, L. (under review). Playing to be seen and heard: A photovoice pilot study with young learners in New Jersey. Submitted to Journal.

    • Krause, K., Kairios, R., Masamitsu, T., Lyra, K., Lokuta, A. M. (under review). Technology-enabled arts prescribing: A model for tracking, managing, and analyzing participant engagement. Submitted to Journal.

funding, honors & awards

    • The Spencer Foundation, Education Research Grant: Large, pending 

    • Dr. William Trent Spencer Mentor Award ($1,000), 2025

    • NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship ($27,500), semifinalist, 2024

    • William C. Bagley Scholarship ($1,200), 2024

    • Tanaka Grant, Department of Asian American Studies, University of Illinois ($1,000), 2023–2024

    • Conference Participation Award (2x), University of Illinois, 2022, 2023

    • Teachers College Spring Scholarship ($7,600), 2019

    • CalArts School of Music Scholarship ($20,000), 2011–2014

    • Dumont Foundation Scholar ($20,000), 2011–2014

    • Letter of Service Appreciation, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, 2024

    • List of Teaching Ranked as Excellent by Their Students (5x), 2022–2024

    • Outstanding Student Medal Award, Master’s Division, College of Education, 2022

conferences & talks

    • Masamitsu, T., Mawhinney, L., Auffant, Porterfield, L. K., Lyra, K. (November 4–7, 2026). “If this, then…: Visualizing young artist cultivation.” International Conference on Urban Education. Punta Cana, DR. 

    • Masamitsu, T., Auffant, N., Mawhinney, L., Porterfield, L., & Lipham, K. (April 8–12, 2026). “There is a space saved for me”: Agency, art, and photovoice with learners in New Jersey. American Educational Research Association. Los Angeles, CA, USA. 

    • Masamitsu, T., & Bunch, M. (October 29–31, 2025). Proceed with caution: Co-creating culturally responsive lesson plans in the era of generative AI. American Educational Studies Association. Albuquerque, NM, USA. 

    • Masamitsu, T. (July 25–27, 2025). Toward a queer-raciolinguistic framework for education policy analysis. International Conference on LGBT Studies. Dublin, Ireland. 

    • Masamitsu, T., Auffant, N., Porterfield, L., & Mawhinney, L. (June 25–28, 2025). Speak up and show out: A learner-led photovoice evaluation of arts education programs in the United States. International Visual Sociology Association. Seoul, South Korea.

    • Masamitsu, T. (April 24, 2025). Toward a queer-raciolinguistic perspective: (Re)new(ed) approaches for considering education politics and policy. American Educational Research Association. Denver, Colorado, USA.

    • Wilson, A., & Masamitsu, T. (November 20; 2025, April 26, 2024). Tippin’ the tightrope: Forces that push and pull social studies teachers’ justice-centered praxes. National Council for the Social Studies, College and University Faculty Assembly. Boston, MA, USA. (Presented additional findings at the American Educational Research Association in Denver, CO, USA.)

    • Masamitsu, T. (November 2, 2024). Gesturing towards queer Asian America: How scholarship compounds multiple minoritization. International Conference on LGBT Studies. Copenhagen, Denmark. 

    • Masamitsu, T. (September 29, 2023). How California’s Proposition 8 weaponized K-12 education to stall marriage equality. Organization of Educational Historians, Virtual Convening, USA. 

    • Masamitsu, T. (March 3, 2023). Unpacking “Asian American” in contemporary education policy. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Graduate Conference. Champaign, IL, USA.

    • Masamitsu, T. (October 1, 2022). Florida’s “don’t say gay or trans” bill: How we got here. Organization of Educational Historians, Virtual Convening, USA.

    • Masamitsu, T. (July 11, 2025). Formative assessment in education: Approaches for new teachers for Teaching Artist Certificate Program, Department of Urban Education, Rutgers University—Newark.

    • Pak, Y., Lee, S., Ouk, L., & Masamitsu, T. (April 23, 2024). Implementing AAPI lessons in K-12 classrooms.  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA, Professional Learning Webinar.

    • Masamitsu, T. (April 15, 2024). Applying gestures in education research: Some methodological musings. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Asian American Studies. Champaign, IL, USA.

    • Wilson, A., & Masamitsu, T. (April 6, 2024). Tippin’ the tightrope: Forces that push and pull social studies teachers’ justice-centered praxes. I3 Collective, Chicago, IL, USA.

    • Masamitsu, T., & Rosado-Torres, A. (October 6, 2023). In conversation: Contextualizing LGBTQIA+ topics in education. Circa Queer Histories Festival, ONE Foundation, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

    • Wilson, A., Masamitsu, T., & Chhikara, P. (August 18, 2023). I3: Inclusive, inquiry-based social studies for Illinois. Illinois State Board of Education, Equity Committee. Springfield, IL, USA.

    • Masamitsu, T. (August 1, 2023). What do teachers need when teaching equitable Asian American community history? Teachers’ Summer Academy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA. 

    • Lee, S., & Masamitsu, T. (June 14, 2023). Teaching Asian American history: A primer for new teachers. Illinois New Teacher Collaborative Conference. Champaign, IL, USA.

    • Lee, S., & Masamitsu, T. (March 31, 2023). The dos and don’ts of teaching about Asian Americans. Illinois Council for Social Studies, Charleston, IL, USA.

    • Lee, S., Bunch, M., & Masamitsu, T. (February 16 & March 6, 2023). Teaching equitable Asian American community history in K-12 classrooms, Champaign Unit #4 School District, Urbana School District. Champaign & Urbana, IL, USA.

service

    • Co-Lead, Arts & Health Research Lab, Rutgers University—New Brunswick, 2025–pres.

    • Affiliate, Visual Studies in Education Lab, Rutgers University—Newark, 2024–pres.

    • Curriculum Advisor, Culturally Responsive Teaching & Leading Standards, University of Illinois & Illinois State Department of Education, 2025

    • DEI Committee Member, New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education Council, 2024–2025

    • Panelist, Graduate Student Meeting, Organization of Educational Historians, 2024

    • Session Chair, Organization of Educational Historians, Annual Conference, 2023

    • Panelist, Chancellor’s Review, College of Education, 2023

    • Panelist, Graduate Teaching Assistant Orientation, College of Education, 2023

    • Organizer, Summer Teaching Academy: Asian American History in K-12 Settings, 2022–2023

    • Panelist, Graduate Student Recruitment Committee, 2022

    • Reviewer

      • Urban Education, 2026

      • AERA, Critical Examination of Race, Ethnicity, Class, and Gender, 2025

      • AERA, Queer Studies, 2025

      • AERA, Asian American Studies in Education, 2025

      • The Journal of Social Studies Research, 2025

      • Organization of Educational Historians, Annual Conference, 2024