Education
PhD, University of Maryland
at College Park, 2008
MA, University of Maryland, 2006
BA, State University of New York at Binghamton, 2003
Overview
I conduct school-based research to examine the effectiveness of behavioral and social emotional interventions, with a specific focus on the contextual factors that promote, or hinder, implementation fidelity. Much of my work has focused on a public health framework for providing tiered supports to students, called PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports). I have examined how teacher and systems coaching models can be used for promoting the implementation of evidence-based interventions. Though the majority of research has been based in public K-12 settings, I have also conducted work in non-public special educational settings. Through a partnership with the Kennedy Krieger School, I led the development and testing of a teacher-tailored coaching approach embedding mixed-reality simulation, to increase teacher capacity to address the diverse needs of students with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Through a current Alliance for a Healthier World grant, I am collaborating with the School of Education to examine the facilitators and barriers to training and retention of paraprofessional educators providing school-based support to youth with ASD.
Honors and Awards
Journal of School Psychology, Article of the Year, 2019
Journal of School Psychology, Nomination for Article of the Year, 2015
Association of Positive Behavior Supports Ted E. Carr Initial Researcher Award, 2011-2012
School Psychology Review 2011 Article of the Year, Honorable Mention
Child, Intervention, Prevention and Services (CHIPS) Fellow, 2010-2011