Join the College of Education in celebrating faculty members who are new to the college and those with recent administrative appointments.
New Leadership:
Welcome to leading education law scholar Kristine L. Bowman, who became associate dean for academic and student affairs in August 2019. Previously, she was a professor and has served as associate dean in the MSU College of Law.
In addition, congratulations to Dorinda Carter Andrews, who was named Department of Teacher Education chairperson in May 2019. She assumed the role from Margaret Crocco, who retired after five years as chair.
We asked our five incoming scholars to share, in their own words, about their research goals and themes. Presented alphabetically, meet our new faculty:
In the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education:
Courtenay Barrett
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Maryland
“My research agenda promotes large-scale change by examining the systems-level or contextual factors that influence evidence-based practices and programs in schools. Locally, my research impacts school administrators, teachers, and students through collaborative multi-level coaching and consultation to bridge the research-practice gap and improve student outcomes.”
Dante D. Dixson
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
“My research highlights the role that thoughts, feelings and attitudes play in both giving minority and disadvantaged students an equal chance at academic success and helping these students live up to their full academic potential. My research makes an impact via helping these students maximize their agency in their academic success and happiness.”
Charis Lauren Wahman
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
“My research highlights the powerful role that early childhood teachers have in supporting the social and emotional needs of preschool children. By examining the contextual factors that hinder or support a child’s social and emotional development, I hope to increase teachers’ knowledge and application of effective ways to communicate with young children in order to maximize their agency and independence in their school environment. “
In the Department of Educational Administration:
Gerardo R. López
Professor
Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
“My research challenges the taken-for-granted ways in which educators engage diverse families. It centers family discourses and ways of knowing, while critically interrogating the discourses, mechanisms and power dynamics that constrain educators from engaging families in new and different ways.”
In the Department of Kinesiology:
Shelby Baez
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Kentucky
“I hope my research will encourage rehabilitation specialists to not only address physical impairments after sports-related injury, but to also address psychological factors that may be impeding health outcomes after injury. If psychological factors are addressed, my hope is that we will see improvements in long-term health outcomes after sports-related injury. “
In the Department of Teacher Education:
Joanne E. Marciano
Assistant Professor
Ed.D. Teachers College, Columbia University
“My research supports the development of more equitable secondary English curriculum and teaching by working with culturally and linguistically diverse youth to examine how their literacy practices support them in collaborating with peers to enact change in their schools and communities. This work provides opportunities for pre-service and in-service literacy educators to better understand how they may develop participatory curriculum and instruction that builds from students’ experiences and perspectives while addressing issues of educational equity. “
Get to know more of our scholars by hearing from the 2018-19 new faculty.