The College of Education is proud to acknowledge its faculty and staff as experts in their fields.
Autism/Twice Exceptionality
Megan Foley Nicpon, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology
Clinical Supervisor, Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development
megan-foley-nicpon@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5575
Area of expertise: counseling children with disabilities, including high ability students with autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, ADHD, social/emotional development, and twice exceptional students, which refers to gifted students with learning, behavioral, emotional, and/or social impairments.
Children’s Literature
Renita Schmidt, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Language, Literacy and Culture
renita-schmidt@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5589
Areas of Expertise: using technology in curriculum development, critical literacy—working with teachers to connect theory to practice, children’s literature—for teacher’s pre-service and in-service.
College Readiness
Saba Ali, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Counseling Psychology
saba-ali@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5495
Areas of Expertise: Career Counseling, vocational psychology.
Core Curriculum/Common Core Standards
Robert L. Brennan, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Director, Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment
E.F. Lindquist Chair in Measurement and Testing
Robert-brennan@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5405
Area of expertise: serves on advisory boards for PARCC and Smarter Balanced tests.
Susan Lagos Lavenz, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Student Services
susan-lagos-lavenz@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5437
Areas of Expertise: teacher education preparation programs, educational administration and leadership, school reform, early childhood administration, special education administration.
Couple and Family Therapy
Volker Thomas, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator, Couple and Family Therapy
volker-thomas@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5288
Area of expertise: Treating families with at-risk children.
Curriculum
Cory Forbes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Science Education
cory-forbes@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5591
Areas of Expertise: “Learning Progressions,” elementary and middle-school science (K-8) teaching and learning, including science teacher education; teacher professional development; curriculum materials development and evaluation; and, students’ scientific reasoning and engagement in scientific practices in the classroom.
Diversity
Malik Henfield, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Counselor Education
malik-henfield@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5942
Area of expertise: high-achieving African American males, bullying, urban education, gifted education, multicultural counseling, and the achievement gap.
Katrina Sanders, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Schools, Culture, and Society
katrina-m-sanders@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-0587
Area of expertise: diversity and community, history of education
Early Childhood Education
Deborah Linebarger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Reading, Department of Teaching and Learning
deborah-linebarger@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-1184
Area of expertise: developmental reading, media and young children.
Kristen Missall
Assistant Professor, School Psychology
kristen-missall@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5007
Areas of Expertise: Child development birth to age 8, school readiness and early school adjustment, curriculum-based measurement, early academic and social development.
Education Administration/Leadership
Ron Fielder, Ph.D.
Clinical Professor, Educational Leadership
Program Coordinator, Educational Leadership program
ronald-fielder@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5641
Area of expertise: educational administration, superintendents, principals
Education Reform
Ron Fielder, Ph.D.
Clinical Professor, Educational Leadership
Program Coordinator, Educational Leadership program
ronald-fielder@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5641
Area of expertise: educational administration, superintendents, principals.
Susan Lagos Lavenz, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Student Services
susan-lagos-lavenz@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5437
Areas of Expertise: teacher education preparation programs, educational administration and leadership, school reform, early childhood administration, special education administration.
Federal Requirements (NCLB)
Susan Lagos Lavenz, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
Associate Dean for Teacher Education and Student Services
susan-lagos-lavenz@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5437
Areas of Expertise: teacher education preparation programs, educational administration and leadership, school reform, early childhood administration, special education administration.
Finance and Higher Education
Michael Paulsen, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Policy and Leadership Studies
michael-paulsen@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-6413
Areas of Expertise: economics, finance, and policy in higher education; teaching, learning, curriculum, and faculty development in higher education.
Foreign Languages
Leslie Schrier, Ph.D.
Professor, Foreign Language Education
Founding Director of Foreign Language and Critical Language Education Programs for the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages
leslie-schrier@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5048
Pam Wesely, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Foreign Language Education
pamela-wesely@uiowa.edu
Areas of Expertise: The beliefs and attitudes of students, parents, and teachers in foreign language programs; foreign language program models, policies, and standards at the K-12 levels; immersion and bilingual education; student attrition from foreign language programs; use of technology in the K-12 foreign language classroom; standards-based assessment in K-12 foreign language programs; proficiency testing in foreign languages; K-12 foreign language teacher preparation.
Lia Plakans, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Foreign Language Education
lia-plakans@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5565
Areas of Expertise: English as a second language (ESL), language assessment.
Gifted and Talented Programs
Nick Colangelo, Ph.D.
Professor, Counselor Education and Supervision
Director of the Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development
nick-colangelo@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-6148
Area of expertise: gifted and talented education
Susan Assouline, Ph.D.
Professor, School Psychology
Associate Director of the Belin-Blank Center
susan-assouline@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-6148
Area of expertise: academically talented students (emphasis in math), academic acceleration, and twice exceptional students (gifted students with autism spectrum disorder and learning disabilities
Laurie Croft, Ph.D.
Professional Development Administrator of the Belin-Blank Center
Laurie-croft@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-6148
Areas of Expertise: gifted education and talent development programming.
Higher Education
Ernest T. Pascarella, Ph.D.
Professor, Higher Education and Student Affairs
Director of CRUE—the Center for Research on Undergraduate Education
ernest-pascarella@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5369
Area of expertise: the impact of college on students
Christopher Morphew, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies
christopher-morphew@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5307
Areas of expertise: higher education policy
International Human Rights
Gregory Hamot, Ph.D.
Professor, Social Studies Education
Director, University of Iowa Center for Human Rights
Program Coordinator, Social Studies Education
gregory-hamot@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5382
Area of expertise: cross-cultural understandings of social studies and democratic citizenship education, infusing global perspectives into the curriculum
Immigrant Literacy
Carolyn Colvin, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Language Literacy and Culture
Director, West Liberty Adult Literacy Program
carolyn-colvin@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5588
Areas of Expertise: Sociocultural literacy issues with immigrant adults and their literacy, adolescent literacy issues.
Judiciary
Mary Cohen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Music Education
mary-cohen@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-3030
Areas of Expertise: Working with incarcerated/inmates and the homeless.
Learning Disabilities
Megan Foley Nicpon, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology
Clinical Supervisor, Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development
megan-foley-nicpon@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5575
Areas of expertise: counseling children with disabilities, including high ability students with autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, ADHD, social/emotional development
Mathematics Education
Kyong Mi Choi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Mathematics Education
kyongmi-choi@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5118
Areas of expertise: curriculum, textbooks, and teaching approaches in secondary school geometry; interdisciplinary approaches in students’ learning and evaluations of mathematics and science; uses of the cognitive diagnosis modeling (CDM) approach on students’ learning of mathematics; mathematically gifted students; international mathematics education.
Walter Seaman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Mathematics Education, Program Coordinator
walter-seaman@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5719
Areas of expertise: Mathematics learning of students and teachers especially in technological environments, with a focus on geometry and algebra; integration of technology into the teaching of school geometry (K-12) and differential geometry (post-secondary and graduate level).
Media and Young Children
Deborah Linebarger, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Reading, Department of Teaching and Learning
deborah-linebarger@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-1184
Areas of expertise: developmental reading
Rehabilitation
John Wadsworth, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling
john-s-wadsworth@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5246
Areas of expertise: Employment issues—working with seniors, people in retirement, persons with disabilities, veterans.
Special Education
Jo Hendrickson, Ph.D.
Professor, Special Education
Director of REACH, a program for students with Intellectual, Cognitive, and Learning Disabilities
jo-hendrickson@uiowa.edu
(319) 384-2097
Areas of expertise: prevention and intervention for at-risk students and students with multiple learning disabilities, early childhood special education
Bill Therrien, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Special Education
Emphasis on Dyslexia
bill-therrien@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5606
Areas of expertise: Special education, Dyslexia, Reading instruction for students who struggle, Post-secondary education for students with disabilities
John Hosp, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Special Education
Response to Intervention instruction
john-hosp@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5328
Areas of expertise: Using assessment data to make screening and progress decisions about instruction, particularly within a Response to Intervention (RtI) framework.
James R. Stachowiak, M.S.E.
Associate Director of ICATER—the Iowa Center for Assistive Technology Education and Research
james-stachowiak@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5280
Areas of expertise: Assistive Technology and universal design for learning.
Youjia Hua, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Special Education
youjia-hua@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5329
Areas of expertise: Academic and behavioral interventions for students with learning difficulties.
STEM
Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math
Ted Neal, M.S.
Clinical Instructor, Science Education
ted-neal@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5327
Areas of expertise: Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP)
Leslie Flynn, M.S.
Clinical Instructor, Science Education
leslie-flynn@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5432
Areas of expertise: STEM Education, Science teaching methods, Iowa Mathematics and Science Education Partnership (IMSEP), Nanotechnology Education, Science Olympiad
Cory Forbes, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Science Education
cory-forbes@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5591
Areas of expertise: Elementary and middle-school science (K-8) teaching and learning, including science teacher education; teacher professional development; curriculum materials development and evaluation; and, students’ scientific reasoning and engagement in scientific practices in the classroom.
Brian Hand, Ph.D.
Professor, Science Education
Program Coordinator, Science Education
Brian-hand@uiowa.edu
(391) 335-5590
Areas of expertise: using language as a learning tool to improve student understanding of science and the development of scientific argument through the use of the Science Writing Heuristic, which helps students learn about and use science argument to construct science knowledge.
Student Life
Malik Henfield, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Counselor Education
malik-henfield@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5942
Areas of expertise: bullying, urban education, gifted education, multicultural counseling, and the achievement gap.
John Westefeld, Ph.D.
Professor, Counseling Psychology
john-westefeld@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5562
Areas of expertise: suicide prevention
Debora Liddell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Higher Education and Student Affairs
deborah-liddell@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5188
Areas of expertise: Student development and student affairs in post-secondary education
Suicide Prevention
John Westefeld, Ph.D.
Professor, Counseling Psychology
john-westefeld@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5562
Teacher Preparedness
Susan Lagos Lavenz, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
Director, Teacher Leader Center
susan-lagos-lavenz@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5437
Areas of expertise: teacher education preparation, educational administration and leadership, school reform, integration of students with special needs, early childhood programs, magnet schools
Testing
Catherine Welch, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Director of the Iowa Statewide Testing Program
catherine-welch@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-6274
Areas of expertise: testing and assessment.
Timothy Ansley, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
timothy-ansley@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5411
Areas of expertise: item response theory, standardized achievement testing
Stephen B. Dunbar, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Director of the Iowa Testing Programs
steve-dunbar@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5561
Areas of expertise: multivariate statistical methods, test development, performance assessment
Robert L. Brennan, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Director, Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment
E.F. Lindquist Chair in Measurement and Testing
robert-brennan@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5405
Areas of expertise: Generalizability theory, test equating, scaling, classical test theory, measurement models
Michael Kolen, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Program Coordinator, Educational Measurement and Statistics
michael-kolen@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-6429
Areas of expertise: test theory, scaling and equating of tests
Donald Yarbrough, Ph.D.
Professor, Educational Measurement and Statistics
Director, Center for Evaluation and Assessment
donald-yarbrough@uiowa.edu
(319) 335-5567
Areas of expertise: evaluation methodology, evaluation standards, higher education classroom assessment