From the Dean
A
s the College of Education marks the 95th anniversary of its founding, I am pleased to announce the addition of 13 new tenure-line faculty members this academic year. With the addition of this talented group to our ranks, we will continue to be leaders in the ever-changing field of education.
2018-19 New Faculty Appointments
These new faculty members bring with them extensive training and expertise in a variety of fields, further strengthening our already robust and diverse faculty. We feel fortunate that we have been able to attract such highly qualified individuals representing such a varied collection of specialties and areas of focus. Our new colleagues will help keep the College at the forefront of teaching, research and service, and will strengthen the professional preparation programs we offer at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Many of them also have strong interdisciplinary ties, which will introduce new dimensions into our students’ learning, as well as broaden the opportunities for scholarship and research for our students and faculty alike.
Please join me in welcoming the newest members of our most talented tenureline faculty into the College of Education at Penn State.
Sincerely,
David H. Monk Dean
College of Education 274 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. U.Ed. EDU 19-09
From our College’s humble beginnings in 1923, we have grown to include four departments with 58 subject areas leading to undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, and/ or certifications offered on campus, online and as a hybrid. Our faculty members have raised the bar for both teaching and research, and our new colleagues will strengthen our ability to make transformative improvements in the field of education.
Brian Belland
ChanMin Kim
Stephanie Schroeder
Brian Belland, associate professor of education (educational psychology), earned a doctorate in educational technology from Purdue University. His research interests include machine learning to inform scaffolding customization; scaffolding argumentation during problem-based learning in middle and high school science; synthesis of scaffolding research across STEM education and education levels; and scaffolding in preservice teacher education.
ChanMin Kim, associate professor of education (learning, design and technology), earned a doctorate in instructional systems from Florida State University. She studies methods to help preservice early grades and elementary teachers learn to integrate robotics and computer programming into classrooms. Her research also involves using programming and debugging as a vehicle for social learning of children on the autism spectrum.
Stephanie Schroeder, assistant professor of education (social studies education), earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from University of Florida. Her research interests include democratic and citizenship education; pre-service teacher education; and education activism.
Amy Voss Farris
Matthew McCrudden
Tanner Vea
Amy Voss Farris, assistant professor of education (science education), earned a doctorate in learning, teaching and diversity with a focus in the learning sciences from Vanderbilt University. She investigates the intersections of scientific modeling and computing in K-12 classrooms and how learners’ experiences in computational modeling can support them as they integrate ideas and practices across STEM disciplines.
Matthew McCrudden, associate professor of education (educational psychology), earned a doctorate in learning and technology from University of Nevada-Las Vegas. His research examines the processes that we use while we study and how these processes are related to our ability to comprehend new ideas, connect new ideas to what we already know and to retain ideas for future use.
Tanner Vea, assistant professor of education (learning, design and technology), earned a doctorate in learning sciences and technology design from Stanford University. His research interests include examining the political and ethical dimensions of designing learning environments; investigating the role of learning in political participation; and engaging educators and learners in human-centered design to address socially meaningful challenges.
Maithreyi Gopalan
Amber O’Shea
LaWanda Ward
Maithreyi Gopalan, assistant professor of education (education theory and policy), earned a doctorate from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University, Bloomington. Her research examines the causes and consequences of racial and socioeconomic disparities in student outcomes using interdisciplinary perspectives. Specifically, she is interested in bringing psychological insights to bear on applied social and educational policy issues.
Amber O’Shea, assistant professor of education (rehabilitation and human services), earned a doctorate in educational psychology from Temple University. Her research interests include understanding the impact of supported education on health and post-secondary outcomes for college students with mental illness and interventions for promoting educational success and engagement among college students with psychiatric disabilities.
LaWanda Ward, assistant professor of education (higher education), earned a doctorate in higher education and student affairs, and a juris doctor, from Indiana University. From a social justice perspective, her research interests include exploring legal issues in American higher education such as race-conscious admissions in a “post-racial” society, free speech and academic freedom.
Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education
Curriculum and Instruction
Education Policy Studies
Jason Griffith
Learning and Performance Systems
Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education
Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education
Curriculum and Instruction
About the College
Jason Griffith, assistant professor of education (children’s literature), earned a doctorate in English education from Arizona State University after teaching middle and high school English for 12 years. His research interests include writing pedagogy, adolescent literature, multimodal text intersections, particularly in narrative nonfiction and storytelling; and empowering literacy practices for middle and secondary students as well as preservice teachers.
Undergraduate Programs
Matthew Kelly
Education Policy Studies Matthew Kelly, assistant professor of education (educational leadership/ finance), earned a doctorate in education policy and the history of education from Stanford University. His research interests include the history and politics of school finance and governance; the causes and consequences of uneven resource distribution in schools; and long-term trends in the relationships between economic and educational inequality.
• Teacher education programs accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (formerly National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) continuously since Jan. 1, 1965. • 58 subject areas leading to undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees and/or certifications. • Award-winning Professional Development School teacher preparation program. • Outstanding success rates on standardized tests for educators. • Teacher preparation programs leading to state certification at elementary, middle and secondary levels. • Award-winning post-graduate programs to assist with induction into the world of practice. Graduate Programs • 15 fields of study leading to master’s and doctoral degrees. • Graduate fellowships and assistantships support many incoming and continuing graduate students. • 5 master’s degrees and 8 post-baccalaureate certificates available via Penn State’s World Campus.
Curriculum and Instruction
Learning and Performance Systems
Education Policy Studies
Ericka Weathers
Education Policy Studies Ericka Weathers, assistant professor of education (education theory and policy), earned a doctorate in education policy from Stanford University. She uses quasi-experimental methodologies to explore the role of structural inequality in education. Her current work examines the relationship between segregation and school finance and racial disparities in special education and school discipline.
Xiangquan “James” Yao
Curriculum and Instruction
Xiangquan “James” Yao, assistant professor of education (math education), earned a doctorate in mathematics education from Ohio State University. His research interests include the development of mathematical cognition; teaching and learning mathematics with technology; and mathematics preservice teacher education.