Sumit Karn (He/Him/His)
Ph.D. Student, Comparative and International Education
Research Discipline/Bio
Sumit Karn examines how ideas, innovations, and institutions diffuse across contexts and influence educational policies, reforms, and systems. He focuses on the processes through which certain ideas gain legitimacy while others fade, paying close attention to how global cultural and institutional norms interact with local dynamics. He pursues this work through the disciplinary lens of sociology and history, utilizing multiple and mixed-methods approaches. His work has appeared in journals such as Economic Analysis and Policy and Current Issues in Comparative Education.
Before starting his Ph.D. at Columbia, Sumit supported various impactful projects with organizations, including Bloomberg Philanthropies (Global Scholar program), the Gates Foundation (Ananya 3SI project with CDOT in Bihar, India), and Steps (DDA project of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services). Before that, Sumit worked as a journalist for the Everett Herald newspaper in Washington, USA.
Educational Background
Master of Arts, International Educational Development, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2023
Data and Policy Summer Scholar, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago, 2022
Graduate Certificate, Global Education Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Pennsylvania, 2020
Bachelor of Arts, Strategic Communication, Washington State University, 2019
Associate of Arts, Journalism, Everett Community College, 2015
Honors/Awards
Nickols Award, Teachers College, Columbia University. 2025; George W. Perkins Memorial Award for exemplary commitment to the International and Comparative Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University, 2024; Finalist, Young Public Opinion Scholars Award, NYAAPOR, 2024
Publications/Exhibitions
Emara, N., Atkinson, M., Karn, S., Tryon, T. (2025). Analyzing Non-Linear and Interactive Impacts of Distance Learning on College Enrollment Post-COVID-19. Economic Policy and Analysis, 85, 2112-2125.
Karn, S., Churiwal, V., Henderson, C. J., Chin, M., & Sanjeev, S. (2023). More girls are accessing school, but are they learning? An exploratory study of the factors influencing girls’ mathematics achievement in Pakistan. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 25(1).
Oyewole, K. A., Karn, S., Classen, J., & Yurkofsky, M. M. (2022). Equitable Research-Practice Partnerships: A Multilevel Reimagining. The Assembly, 5(1), 40–59.
Last Updated: Jun 4, 2025