College of Education

MEET PROGRAM FACULTY

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• Curriculum & Instruction

  	Margaret Hale, Ed.D. Clinical Professor, Reading and Language Arts Education Chair, Department of Curriculum & Instruction Teaching/Research Interests: My teaching focus is in the area of secondary literacy. I work with students seeking 4-8 or 7-12 ELAR certification as well as with graduate students pursuing an M.Ed. with an emphasis in ELAR. Additionally, I mentor doctoral students focusing on reading and language arts.  Courses I typically teach include Adolescent Literature, Literacy Leadership, Teaching Reading in Secondary Schools, Teaching English in Secondary Schools and Children’s Literature. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? As a graduate from UH, I enjoy many of the traditions associated with the school as well as its culture. We are a very diverse institution with students and faculty from all walks of life, and this has helped me grow as an individual. I love learning about other countries and cultures, and UH has afforded me that opportunity. The same is true for the city of Houston. I moved to Houston after graduating from college, and I fell in love with the city.
  	Jie Zhang, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Bilingual/ESL Education Program Director, Bilingual/ESL Education Associate Chair, Department of Curriculum & Instruction Research Interests: My research is focused on language and literacy development and instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse learners and integrating language and literacy in STEM teaching and learning for English language learners. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? I enjoy working at UH because of the great colleagues and students. I call Houston home because of its celebration of culture and diversity. I love to explore ethnic food/restaurants in Houston.
  	Amber Thompson, Ed.D. Clinical Professor, Science Education Associate Chair, Teacher Education Teaching Interests: My goal for teacher candidates is to provide them researched-based instructional strategies and multiple opportunities to practice teaching skills while receiving high-quality feedback. My work also centers around how teaching science advances social justice and provides K-12 students with the knowledge and skills to actively participate in improving the world around them. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? I really enjoy living in big city with a wide variety of outdoor spaces, museums, restaurants, shopping and events. One thing I love about the University of Houston is the commitment faculty have to serving the community and the partnerships between the University and the people we serve.
  	Laveria Hutchison, Ed.D. Associate Professor, Reading and Language Arts Education  Program Director, Reading and Language Arts Education  Teaching/Research Interests: My scholarship intends to inform K-12 teachers, teacher candidates and parents to assist students with the acquisition and use of literacy strategies to demonstrate learning through print, voice and screen that connects to students’ cultural identities. Another area of interest is situated in STEM educational research to provide undergraduate and graduate students, along with career-changers, opportunities to become teachers in high-needs schools. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? I enjoy working at UH because the students are exceptional, and they want to provide equitable education in classroom settings and in other workforce areas. Also, my colleagues are wonderful and full of innovative ideas they are always willing to share. Living in Houston provides me with many activities (sports, arts and outdoor exercise). Houston has a Medical Center that is internationally-known. And, I love the short winter season!
  	Sam Brower, Ed.D. Clinical Professor, Social Studies Education Program Director, M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction Teaching/Research Interests: My work is situated at the intersection of critical pedagogy, social studies education and teaching for justice. I attempt to focus on how social studies educators can utilize transformative pedagogical practices to support student empowerment and deconstruct the traditional, hegemonic narratives and practices found in social studies classrooms. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? Houston is a city unlike any other. It’s the fourth largest city in the U.S., but somehow still maintains a small-town feel. Having lived here for the past 20 years, I have found it to be a crossroads of diversity, culture and people that offers a multitude of opportunities to engage in impactful work in advancing equity in education. Moreover, the College of Education’s mission and vision at UH embodies this work, and leadership continuously supports faculty in this work.
  	Conra Gist, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Teaching and Teacher Education Teaching/Research Interests: My research focuses on understanding the various types of programs, policies and practices that support the development and advancement of Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers in education systems. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? Living, working and serving in one of the largest and most diverse cities in the country provides a wide range of opportunities to explore and grow professionally and personally. UH cultivates an environment where students and faculty are challenged to take up meaningful projects and make impactful contributions in local and national contexts. This has positioned me to develop research initiatives that not only study educational inequities in teacher development systems, but to design and implement program interventions that create more equitable teaching and learning experiences for Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
  	Jeannette Alarcón, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Teaching and Teacher Education Teaching/Research Interests: My expertise includes community-centered practices to create more equitable learning environments for K-12 and undergraduate students via professional development aimed at increasing critical consciousness in mentor teachers. My research and funded projects focus on professional development for teachers and teacher educators using an equity lens to develop culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies. My university teaching includes courses in curriculum theory, teacher action research, and teacher education in the undergraduate, M.Ed. and Ph.D. programs. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? UH is a great place to work because we enjoy supportive structures that provide myriad professional learning opportunities. In addition, there are many talented colleagues to collaborate with in both teaching and research. Houston is a great place to live because it offers a variety of choices to suit myriad lifestyles and outside-of-work interests.

• Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

  	Kristen Hassett, Ph.D., NCSP Clinical Professor, Special Populations Interim Chair, Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Research/Teaching Interests: I have the privilege of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in special education, assessment, professional practice and consultation. My areas of expertise include individually administered norm-referenced assessment, assessment of learning difficulties, identification of learning disabilities, intellectual giftedness, intellectual disability, twice exceptionality, gender differences in special education, law and ethics, and professional development for educators. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? As a graduate of UH myself, I recognize the unique opportunities to work in a diverse setting. Located in the nation’s fourth-largest city comprised of 47 public school districts and 40 open-enrollment charter schools, UH is a minority-serving institution with unique learning and networking opportunities for students. I love working at the University of Houston because of the values espoused, including diversity, inclusion, freedom of expression, innovation, collaboration and resilience. I love Houston’s diversity and urban environment with amazing people, restaurants and museums.
  	April Peters-Hawkins, Ph.D. Professor, K-12 Leadership Associate Chair, Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Research Interests: My focus is broadly on school leadership. Specifically, I am interested in mentoring and support that districts provide for early career principals; the experiences of urban school leaders; and Black women principals and their epistemological articulation of the ways that intersectionality influences their leadership. I am currently co-PI on a Wallace Foundation grant examining equity-centered principal pipeline development in eight urban school districts across the U.S. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? Houston is a diverse city with many cultural activities and events for all ages. And the University of Houston is a wonderful work environment with many opportunities for faculty and staff to learn and grow.
  	Jacqueline Hawkins, Ed.D. Associate Professor, Special Populations Program Director, Ed.D. in Professional Leadership — Special Populations Research/Teaching Interests: Improving outcomes, both academic and social, for students who experience challenges along the educational pipeline has been my research interest for the past three decades. Currently, I am the PI on a Powell Foundation project to prepare pre-service teachers to identify and support students with dyslexia and/or mental health challenges; the co-PI on a federal Office of Special Education Programs project that supports doctoral education; and an investigator on the OSEP model demonstration project Assessment, Intervention, Instruction for the Prevention and Treatment of Dyslexia (AIIPat), building a plan to guide future educators to match evidence-based practices with the specific needs of their students. Using both UDL and improvement science approaches, our doctoral students learn to see challenges in a systemic manner, to focus on end-users (teachers and students), and to engage networks to help move the work forward. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? As an immigrant to the U.S. from Scotland, the cosmopolitan feel of Houston in 2022 appeals to my progressive outlook on life. Opportunities abound in this region and the value for the cost of a UH education is unparalleled. Our students experience an inclusive and thoughtful environment in which to grow and excel. The energy capital of the nation is not just about the oil industry; it is the energy in the classrooms and social locations across campus where you will witness cross-cultural engagement. We have a growth mindset here and hope that more high-quality scholars will join our ever more diverse faculty. Whatever your interests — food, the arts, museums, music, fitness, travel — Houston fits the bill and exceeds expectations.
  	Charlotte Lynn Carp, Ph.D., BCBA-D Clinical Assistant Professor, Special Populations Program Coordinator, Special Populations Undergraduate Program Research/Teaching Interests: My teaching and research focuses on behavioral interventions for learners with disabilities. I teach undergraduate and graduate classes on how to implement and use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in the educational setting and in the clinical ABA setting. Specifically, my research focuses on ways to make language interventions more effective and efficient. I evaluate different prompting procedures to teach listener behavior, as well as some translational research on stimulus equivalence. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? I grew up in the Houston area, so Houston just feels like home to me. I love how diverse the city is, and all the opportunities that come along with that diversity. I can drive west and be in the country, or I can drive east and be in the city. I love the amazing people and how we all come together to support our sports teams. On game days I always see tons of Astros, Texans or Rockets shirts, which makes me grateful and reminds me of how we all pull together and support our community. As for UH, the main thing I love is the people! I love getting to know the students, as well as working with all the faculty. I am very thankful to be at UH!
  	Kristi L. Santi, Ph.D. Professor, Special Populations Research/Teaching Interests: My research focuses on English learners in special education, early reading outcomes, adolescent literacy and transition. I am passionate about bringing together general and special education to ensure that all students receive high-quality Tier One instruction regardless of their perceived status. I am currently the lead principal investigator on two Office of Special Education Programs grants. The first is a model demonstration grant, Assessment, Intervention, Instruction for the Prevention and Treatment of Dyslexia (AIIPaT), looking at ways to provide the right services to the right kids at the right time. The second is the Leadership for Special Populations and Educational Disparities (LEAD SP+ED) project, focused on training future leaders in improvement science and the science of learning to improve academic outcomes for all students while training leaders on systematically improving the climate for all educational professionals. Our Special Populations team works together to bring about positive change for students with disabilities, students of color, and students whose first language is not English. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? The first and foremost issue that is unique to the University of Houston is diversity. You see it in the student body and our department. We build on this diversity by teaching everyone to listen, even when you disagree, in an effort to learn and grow as an individual and community. The city of Houston reflects the population at UH and is a foodie haven with everything — biking trails, major sporting teams and an international airline hub. I am proud to call UH and the city of Houston home for the past 21 years.

• Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences

  	Nathan Grant Smith, Ph.D. Professor, Counseling Psychology Chair, Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences   Research/Teaching Interests: I am affiliated with the Counseling Psychology doctoral program and direct the CORE (COping & REsilience) Research Team. I conduct research on health disparities experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer adults. My research focuses on the impact of minority stress on mental and behavioral health outcomes of LGBTQ persons, particularly outcomes such as sexual health, substance use and mental health. I am interested in identifying intervenable factors that can promote health and well-being, and my research includes the development of interventions to increase resilience.   What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? Houston is a vibrant city with a diverse population. As such, there are endless opportunities for great food, art and entertainment. New vegan restaurants and dog-friendly bars are opening all the time — two of my favorite things! Like Houston, UH serves diverse students, faculty and staff. I appreciate being able to live and work in a culturally diverse environment. Moreover, I value the College of Education’s shared commitment to ending health and educational disparities.
  	Virmarie Correa-Fernández, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Health (primary)/Counseling Psychology (secondary)  Associate Chair, Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences Research/Teaching Interests: My research and scholarship focus heavily on two main areas: understanding psychosocial determinants of tobacco dependence and cessation outcomes; and developing and testing behavioral interventions that are culturally relevant for Latinx who smoke. I have a particular interest in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and its applicability to smoking cessation and the comorbidity of tobacco dependence and affective disorders. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? I definitely enjoy the cultural diversity of Houston as evidenced by its people, culinary options and arts/festivals/music. I like the access to a variety of well-maintained parks, the possibility of enjoying activities outdoors, as well as the relative proximity to other cities/towns of interest. UH is a microcosm of Houston in terms of cultural diversity and I enjoy the environment it creates. I also value UH leadership and its constant goals of being a top tier university and serving the local community.
  	Erica Jordan, Ph.D. Clinical Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences Assistant Chair for Student Success, Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences Research/Teaching Interests: I am passionate about undergraduate education and feel privileged to empower students with the ability to critically evaluate claims that are so readily presented to them about families in society. My specific teaching interests include courses that expand students’ understanding about the many internal and external factors that can influence family dynamics and courses that expose students to career opportunities within our field. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? I was attracted to UH because of the diversity of its student body and the diverse cultures represented within Houston. A variety of perspectives is especially enriching for the classroom when discussing families. On a personal note, Houston is also a wonderful place for families to explore, and it has been a great place for my partner and I to explore with our young child. We live in the Museum District and are regularly taking in much of the best that Houston has to offer, including the parks, food and museums. We also enjoy getaways from the two airports and road trips together.
  	Jorge E. Gonzalez, Ph.D. Professor, School Psychology Program Director, Ph.D. in School Psychology Research/Teaching Interests: My scholarship focuses on the early literacy predictors of and challenges to reading with comprehension at the intersection of important questions about culture, especially for dual language learners. My works focus on school readiness at entry to preschool for Latinx children who are emergent bilinguals and the home literacy environments that support learning. As important, I also investigate the psychometric properties, especially construct invariance of instruments designed to assess key cognitive, socio-emotional and psychological aspects of children’s development. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? Mostly I love the diversity in people, places, food and things to do in Houston. Houston is also home to one of the major airport hubs, making travel all over the world, especially to Mexico, easy. I love the many opportunities to take part in the arts as well.
  	Milena Keller-Margulis, Ph.D. Associate Professor, School Psychology Research/Teaching Interests: My research agenda is focused on the measurement of academic skills for all students in efficient and accurate ways that facilitate identification of those in need of supportive intervention. My early work as a school psychologist in public schools highlighted the gaps in research regarding the technical adequacy of academic skills screening measures used in practice and the absence of measures for certain purposes. The main focus of my research team, Promoting Academic Skills Success (PASS), is on curriculum-based measurement (CBM), an approach that involves collecting brief samples of basic academic skills in reading, math and writing, and is used as a screening tool to identify children at-risk for poor academic performance and to monitor progress in response to instruction or intervention. My teaching is also focused on measurement as well as the practical field training experiences of students. What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? Houston is a wonderful place to both work and live, as well as a wonderful place to train future school psychologists. The city is home to so many people from diverse backgrounds that results in a rich and exciting community in which to live and learn. UH reflects the diversity of the broader region and is a vibrant learning and scholarly community.
  	Bradley H. Smith, Ph.D. Professor, School Psychology Research/Teaching Interests: I train students to be sensitive community partners who engage in the development and application of socially-valid, evidence-based practices that improve well-being and student success. I direct the University of Houston Mindfulness, Well-being, and Spirituality Lab, studying ways to make mindfulness a part of the culture of diverse educational communities. Along with my students, we work with community organizations to evaluate and strengthen youth serving programs that provide summer camping programs with an emphasis on understanding benefits for historically underserved groups (e.g., HoustonLEAD.org; TheWoodsProject.org). What do you enjoy about UH and Houston? UH is a great place to work, and I think Houston is one of the best places in the country to train school psychologists because of the diversity of the population and learning opportunities. Relatedly, the food scene in Houston is vibrant, diverse and excellent.