Technical Review Committees
Technical Review Committees
The Center's six Technical Review Committees are made up of national experts in academic and/or behavioral assessments and interventions and have strong methodological expertise.
Technical Review Committees
- Academic Screening TRC
- Academic Progress Monitoring TRC
- Academic Intervention TRC
- Behavior Screening TRC
- Behavior Progress Monitoring TRC
- Behavior Intervention TRC
Academic Screening TRC
Selection criteria for the Academic Screening TRC were: (a) member has a background in measurement and strong methodological skills and (b) member has strong expertise related to academic screening. Special attention was paid to including members with expertise on culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Members of the Academic Screening TRC include:
Dr. Amy E. Barth is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at the Buena Vista University School of Education and Exercise Science. Dr. Barth’s research and teaching focuses on reading and language development and preventing reading difficulties of at-risk children.
Dr. Hugh Catts is a Professor and Director of the School of Communication Science and Disorders at Florida State University. His research interests include the early identification and prevention of language-based reading disabilities. He is currently involved in three projects related to early identification of dyslexia and other reading/language disabilities. He is a past board member of the International Dyslexia Association and past President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading.
Dr. Craig Frisby is an Associate Professor of School Psychology and teaches in the School Psychology program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also serves as Associate Editor for the APA journal Psychological Assessment. His research interests lie in the measurement of cognitive test session behavior, multidimensional scaling applications, and multicultural issues in school psychology.
Dr. Dave Heistad served as a program evaluator and Executive Director of Research in Minneapolis Public Schools for 25 years and has worked as the Executive Director of the Research, Evaluation and Assessment for Bloomington Public Schools the past five years.
Dr. John Hintze is a Professor and Director of School Psychology training programs at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research has focused extensively on the psychometric properties associated with progress monitoring and decision-making accuracy of curriculum-based measurement.
Dr. Tiffany Hogan is the Director of the Speech and Language (SAiL) Literacy Lab and a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at MGH Institute. Dr. Hogan studies the genetic, neurologic, and behavioral links between oral and written language development, with a focus on co-morbid speech, language and literacy disorders. Her research is funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Education Sciences.
Dr. John L. Hosp is a professor of special education in the College of Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His research has examined the utility of screening measures across disaggregated subgroups of students as well as the use of screening data to plan instruction, particularly in elementary reading and middle school science. He has conducted numerous workshops and trainings on using data from screening measures and is a co-author of The ABCs of CBM—an introduction to the administration and use of curriculum-based measures as well as The ABCs of Curriculum-Based Evaluation: A Practical Guide to Effective Decision Making.
Dr. Evelyn S. Johnson is a Professor of Special Education at Boise State University, and the Scientific Director of Lee Pesky Learning Center. Her research focuses on examining the role of information processing, self-regulation and academic skills to develop more effective interventions for students with learning disabilities, and on developing special education teacher evaluation tools designed to improve the implementation of evidence-based practices in the classroom. She is the co-author of RTI: A Practitioner's Guide to Implementing Response to Intervention, and How RTI Works in Secondary Schools.
Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller is a Professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at Southern Methodist University. Her research focuses on the development and validation of formative assessment systems in mathematics that provide instructionally relevant information to support teachers’ decision-making for all students. Her work is centered on using technology to provide accessible assessment systems through the integration of accommodations and principles of universal design.
Dr. Kristen Ritchey is a professor of special education in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. Dr. Ritchey conducts research in identification and intervention for young children who are at risk for reading and writing disabilities.
Dr. Mabel Rivera is an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and President of the NC Council for Exceptional Children state unit. She teaches Special Education and Birth-Kindergarten undergraduate courses. Her research interests include the education and prevention of learning difficulties in English language learners and students with disabilities. In addition, she engages in local and national service activities related to professional development of teachers and related personnel.
Academic Progress Monitoring TRC
Selection criteria for the Academic Progress Monitoring TRC were: (a) member has a background in measurement and strong methodological skills and (b) member has strong expertise related to progress monitoring. Special attention was paid to including members with expertise on culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Members of the Academic Progress Monitoring TRC include:
Dr. Lee Branum-Martin is an Associate Professor in developmental psychology at Georgia State University. Dr. Branum-Martin has experience in modeling classroom and instructional effects in early literacy and bilingualism in large-scale research projects. His interest in multilevel and longitudinal models includes scaling, factor analysis, and measurement equivalence.
Dr. John Hintze is an Associate Professor of School Psychology and teaches in the School Psychology program at the University of Missouri-Columbia. He also serves as Associate Editor for the APA journal Psychological Assessment. His research interests lie in the measurement of cognitive test session behavior, multidimensional scaling applications, and multicultural issues in school psychology.
Dr. Michelle Hosp is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Department of Student Development at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her background is in school psychology and special education. Her research interests are in reading and data-based decision making involving formative assessments.
Dr. Joseph R. Jenkinsis an Emeritus Professor of Special Education at the University of Washington. His research focuses on assessment and instruction of students with learning and reading disabilities.
Dr. Evelyn S. Johnson is a Professor of Special Education at Boise State University, and the Scientific Director of Lee Pesky Learning Center. Her research focuses on examining the role of information processing, self-regulation and academic skills to develop more effective interventions for students with learning disabilities, and on developing special education teacher evaluation tools designed to improve the implementation of evidence-based practices in the classroom. She is the co-author of RTI: A Practitioner's Guide to Implementing Response to Intervention, and How RTI Works in Secondary Schools.
Dr. Leanne Ketterlin Geller is a Professor in the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at Southern Methodist University. Her research focuses on the development and validation of formative assessment systems in mathematics that provide instructionally relevant information to support teachers’ decision-making for all students. Her work is centered on using technology to provide accessible assessment systems through the integration of accommodations and principles of universal design.
Dr. Amanda Marcotte is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her primary line of research is in the area of developmental reading theory for assessment and instruction, with research priorities extending to reading comprehension and early vocabulary assessment.
Dr. Benjamin Solomon is an Assistant Professor of School Psychology at the University at Albany. Prior to this, Dr. Solomon was a professor at Oklahoma State University, where he worked closely with other faculty and students building capacity for Response to Intervention statewide. His current research interests include statistical methods and research design and academic intervention and assessment.
Dr. Pamela M. Stecker is a Professor of Special Education at Clemson University in South Carolina. She has been involved in research and development for progress monitoring tools and teacher decision making since her graduate work in the mid-1980s at Peabody/Vanderbilt University. Pam has taught numerous special education and general education teachers, both preservice and inservice, to use curriculum-based measurement in reading/language arts and in mathematics to evaluate their students' academic growth, to individualize instructional programs, and to implement intensive academic interventions.
Academic Intervention TRC
Selection criteria for the Academic Intervention TRC were: (a) member has strong methodological skills and (b) member has a background and expertise in the evaluation of K12 academic interventions in reading, mathematics or writing. Special attention was paid to including members with expertise on evaluating the effectiveness of interventions with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Members of the Academic Intervention TRC include:
Dr. Scott Baker is a research professor at the Center on Research and Evaluation (CORE) at Southern Methodist University (SMU). He was the founding executive director of the center. Dr. Baker is interested in the role scientific research can play in improving policies and practices associated with child outcomes. He has been Principal Investigator on numerous education grants from the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal agencies. Currently, Dr. Baker is interested in the impact of interventions on child outcomes, mechanisms that underlie effective interventions, and how intervention impact varies by factors intrinsic and extrinsic to the child.
Dr. Mindy Sittner Bridges is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Her research interests include the connection between language and reading disabilities, the use of language-intensive interventions with young children to aid later reading comprehension, and the use of Response to Intervention in educational settings.
Dr. Diane Pedrotty Bryant is a Professor of Special Education in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin and holds the Mollie Villeret Davis Professorship in Learning Disabilities. She serves as the Project Director for the Mathematics Institute in The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk and Principal Investigator for an IES funded Goal 3 grant on algebra-readiness interventions. Dr. Bryant’s research interests focus on the development and validation of mathematics interventions at the elementary and secondary levels for students with mathematics difficulties and learning disabilities in mathematics.
Dr. Ben Clarke is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of Oregon and Associate Director of the Center on Teaching and Learning. His work is focused on the development and efficacy testing of mathematics intervention programs spanning the K-6th grade spectrum in both traditional and technology based formats. His work has been supported through multiple grants from the Institute of Education Science, Office of Special Education Programs, and the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Michael Coyne is a Professor of Educational Psychology and the Coordinator of the Special Education Program at the University of Connecticut. He is also Co-Director of the Center for Behavioral Education and Research. He has expertise in beginning reading and early vocabulary instruction and intervention, school-based experimental research, multi-tiered or RTI systems of support, and effective practices for students with learning disabilities.
Dr. Frances Mary D'Andrea is an educational consultant and an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, and other universities. She has over 10 years experience teaching students who were blind or visually impaired and has served as the director of the National Literacy Center for the American Foundation for the Blind. Her work focuses on literacy instruction for students who are blind or visually impaired. She is currently immediate past-chair of the Braille Authority of North America.
Dr. Christian Doabler is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Doabler specializes in curriculum design, classroom observation systems, and the prevention of learning difficulties. He is a former general education and special education teacher. Currently, Dr. Doabler serves as a Principal Investigator / Co-Principal Investigator on several efficacy trials and development projects funded through the Institute of Education Sciences and the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Ralph P. Ferretti is a Professor of Education and Psychological & Brain Sciences, and the past Director of the University of Delaware’s School of Education. His current scholarship focuses on interventions that promote students’ self-regulatory skills in problem solving and written argumentation. He served as co-editor of The Journal of Special Education, on the editorial boards of Exceptional Children and The Journal of Special Education, and currently serves on the editorial boards of The Journal of Educational Psychology and The Journal of Teacher Education.
Dr. Charles Hughes Hughes is Professor of Special Education at The Pennsylvania State University where he teaches an undergraduate course on instructional design and delivery and a graduate course on effective instruction for students with learning disabilities. He developed, researched, and co-authored five of the instructional books included in the Strategic Intervention Model's (SIM) Learning Strategies Curriculum developed through the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and co-authored, with Dr. Anita Archer, a textbook on Explicit Instruction. He served as Co-editor of the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability and Editor of Learning Disabilities Research and Practice and serves as an editorial board member for a number of journals including Exceptional Children and the Journal of Learning Disabilities.
Dr. Joseph R. Jenkinsis an Emeritus Professor of Special Education at the University of Washington. His research focuses on assessment and instruction of students with learning and reading disabilities.
Dr. Asha K. Jitendrais a Professor of Special Education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Riverside. She was a professor for 14 years in the College of Education at Lehigh University and faculty to the Center for Promoting Research to Practice. Dr. Jitendra’s research interests focus on instructional design, particularly in mathematics and reading, textbook analysis, and dynamic assessment. Her work on mathematical problem solving includes her published curriculum text entitled, “Solving math word problems: Teaching students with learning disabilities using schema-based instruction.”
Dr. Christopher J. Lemons is an Associate Professor of Special Education at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and a member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. His research focuses on improving academic outcomes for children and adolescents with intellectual, developmental, and learning disabilities. His recent research has focused on developing and evaluating reading interventions for individuals with Down syndrome. His areas of expertise include reading interventions for children and adolescents with learning and intellectual disabilities, data-based individualization, and intervention-related assessment and professional development. He has published studies in peer-reviewed journals including Exceptional Children, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, and Remedial and Special Education. Dr. Lemons has secured funding to support his research from the Institute of Education Sciences and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, both within the U.S. Department of Education and from the National Institutes of Health. He chairs the Executive Committee of the Pacific Coast Research Conference. Dr. Lemons is Co-Director of the National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention and a Senior Advisor for the National Center on Intensive Intervention, both funded by the Office of Special Education Programs.
Dr. Nonie K. Lesaux is Academic Dean and the Juliana W. and William Foss Thompson Professor of Education and Society. Her research focuses on promoting the language and literacy skills of today's children from diverse linguistic, cultural and economic backgrounds, and is conducted largely in urban and semi-urban cities and school districts. In 2009, Dr. Lesaux received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor given by the United States government to young professionals beginning their independent research careers.
Dr. Endia Lindo is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Texas Christian University and core faculty of the Alice Neeley Special Education Research and Service (ANSERS) Institute. Her research focus on improving the reading performance of struggling readers and students with disabilities in the elementary and middle grades. Of particular interest are approaches to teaching reading comprehension, and understanding the social and familial factors that predict students’ responsiveness to generally effective instruction and evidence-based intervention.
Dr. Charles A. MacArthur is a Professor of School of Education at the University of Delaware. His major research interests include writing development and instruction for struggling writers, development of self-regulated strategies, adult literacy, and applications of technology to support reading and writing. His work has focused on development of a writing curriculum for students with learning disabilities, writing strategy instruction in classroom settings, development of multimedia tools to support reading and writing in content areas, speech recognition as a writing accommodation, project-based learning in social studies in inclusive classrooms, and adult literacy.
Dr. Rollanda O'Connor is a Professor at the University of California, Riverside. Her research focuses on reading intervention and issues of early identification of reading disability, effects of multiple layers of support to children over the first few years of schooling, instructional issues for older students with reading difficulties, and transfer and generalization across multiple components of reading.
Dr. Natalie Olinghouse is an Associate Professor in the Educational Psychology Department and a Research Scientist in the Center for Behavioral Education and Research at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Olinghouse's research interests include learning disabilities, writing instruction, and reliability and validity in writing assessment.
Dr. Claudia M. Pagliaro is a Professor in Professions in Deafness and Coordinator of the K-12 Deaf and Hard of Hearing Teacher Licensure Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research focuses on mathematics instruction and learning with deaf and hard-of-hearing students, particularly in the areas of cognition, problem solving, and the influence of a visual language (American Sign Language) on mathematics understanding. Dr. Pagliaro is the co-creator of the Building Math Readiness in Young Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Students: Parents as Partners intervention and the Early Mathematics Performance Diagnostic.
Dr. Shayne Piasta is an associate professor of Reading and Literature in Early and Middle Childhood in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the Ohio State University. She also is a faculty associate for the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy. Dr. Piasta’s research focuses on early literacy development and how it is best supported during preschool and elementary years. Her work emphasizes the use of rigorous empirical methods to identify and validate educational programs and practices, such as experimental evaluation of specific curricula and professional development opportunities.
Dr. Sarah Powell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research interests include developing, implementing, and evaluating mathematics interventions for students with disabilities. Dr. Powell is also interested in how students solve word problems, interpret mathematics symbols, and use mathematics language.
Dr. Claudia P. Rinaldi is an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Education Program at Lasell College. Her research interests are in the identification and intervention of evidenced-based practices for English language learners with mild/moderate disabilities. Her current research work addresses the implementation of RTI models in urban settings to respond to the needs of diverse learners and developing pathways for diversifying the teacher pipeline.
Dr. David Scanlon is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. He teaches and conducts research on content-area literacy and learning for adolescents with mild disabilities, and transition. He is formerly an assistant research scientist with the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. Dr. Scanlon is currently serving as editor of the International Journal for Research in Learning Disabilities.
Dr. Pamela M. Seethaler is a Research Associate with the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Previously, she taught special education students in the Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County public schools. She earned her Master's and Doctoral degrees under the advisement of Dr. Lynn S. Fuchs. Currently, she serves as co-Principal Investigator for a study assessing the efficacy of mathematics and reading comprehension tutoring for second-grade students at risk for developing mathematics and reading disability. Her interests include the early identification of and intervention for students with mathematics disability.
Dr. Paul Sindelar is a Distinguished Professor of Special Education at the University of Florida and Co-Director of the CEEDAR Center. His current research has focused on the special education teacher labor market and the impact of recession, declining SLD identification, and other factors have had on SET employment.
Dr. Michael Solis is an assistant professor of special education at the University of California Riverside Graduate School of Education. His line of research focuses on vocabulary and reading comprehension interventions for students with reading difficulties in grades 4–12 within multi tiered systems of support. Currently, Dr. Solis serves as the Principal Investigator for an Institute of Education Sciences Goal Two grant to develop reading interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder. Prior to his work in higher education, he was a special educator, reading specialist, and literacy coach for 10 years.
Dr. Elizabeth Swanson is a Research Associate Professor at The University of Texas at Austin with a joint appointment between the Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk and the Department of Special Education. She is currently the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator of projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and the Office of Special Education Programming. Dr. Swanson’s research includes developing and testing the efficacy of instructional methods for struggling readers, including students with learning disabilities.
Dr. Jade Wexler is an Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Maryland. She is currently the Principal Investigator and co-Principal Investigator of projects funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and the Office of Special Education Programs. Her current research focuses on designing reading interventions to support at-risk adolescents with reading difficulties and disabilities in the content-area classroom and supplemental intensive intervention setting. She also focuses on designing effective professional development and school-wide service delivery models to support the implementation of evidence-based adolescent literacy practices.
Behavior Screening TRC
Selection criteria for the Behavior Screening TRC were: (a) member has a background in measurement and strong methodological skills and (b) member has strong expertise related to behavioral screening. Special attention was paid to including members with expertise on culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Members of the Behavior Screening TRC include:
Dr. Aarti Bellara is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Mack Burke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University. His research interests are emotional and behavioral disorders, integrated academic and behavioral approaches, learning and behavior problems, positive behavior support, universal screening and response to intervention.
Dr. Sandra M. Chafouleas is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She also serves as Co-Director of the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health. She has authored over 150 publications, and regularly serves as a national presenter and invited speaker. She is a fellow in both the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science. She received the 2009 UConn Alumni Association award for excellence in graduate teaching, the 2016 APA Division 16 Oakland Mid-Career Scholar Award, and previously served as associate dean for The Graduate School (2012-2014) and then the associate dean for research in the Neag School (2014-2016). Prior to becoming a university trainer, she worked as a school psychologist and school administrator in a variety of settings for children with behavior disorders.
Dr. Erin Dowdy is a Professor in the Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology at University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a licensed psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist. Dr. Dowdy’s research career and scholarly publications have focused on behavioral and social emotional assessment, particularly universal screening for social and emotional health and risk. She is the co-principal investigator on several screening measurement projects funded through the Institute of Education Sciences and she currently serves as associate editor for School Psychology Review.
Dr. Katie Eklund is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of Missouri. Prior to entering academia, Dr. Eklund worked in public education for 10 years as a school administrator, school psychologist, and social worker. Dr. Eklund has authored a number of publications on school mental health, including early identification and intervention for childhood behavioral and emotional concerns, school climate, and school safety. Her current research projects include implementation of universal screening and Tier 2 social emotional interventions in K-12 schools, and investigating the impact of School Resource Officers on school climate and safety.
Dr. Austin H. Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the School Psychology program at the University of California, Riverside’s Graduate School of Education. Dr. Johnson’s research interests focus on the identification of evidence-based behavior support practices and the evaluation of observationally-based behavior assessment methodologies.
Dr. Stephen Kilgus is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program at the University of Missouri. His primary research interest is in the area of school mental health. Of particular interest is (a) the evaluation of interventions for students who are at risk for social-emotional and behavioral concerns, and (b) the development and validation of assessments for universal screening, progress monitoring, and problem analysis.
Dr. Daniel Maggin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His research addresses three areas related to the education of students with and at risk for developing emotional and behavioral disorders including (a) the identification of evidence-based practices through the use of various research synthesis methods, (b) the training of school personnel to use a continuum of effective assessment and intervention methods to identify and treat students with varying behavioral profiles, and (c) the development of school-based methods to ensure that effective interventions are implemented with integrity.
Dr. Faith Miller is an Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology within the School Psychology Program at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Miller's research interests relate to improving multi-tiered systems of support for students who experience social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). This includes the use of defensible assessments to inform data-based decision-making and problem-solving, as well as the development and delivery of a continuum of high-quality interventions to improve student outcomes.
Dr. Chris Riley-Tillman is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational School and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri. He is one of the co-developers of Direct Behavior Ratings as well as a recognized authority in evidence-based practice in schools and the application of experimental design and analysis in applied educational settings. His research interests include development and validation of assessment and intervention methodologies that are both empirically supported and feasible, applied single case design, consultation and school-wide problem-solving models.
Dr. Joni Williams Splett is an assistant professor of school psychology in the University of Florida’s College of Education. One area of her research examines the use and outcomes of universal screening measures within a multi-tiered system of support for social, emotional, and behavioral concerns. She has worked with many schools and districts to support implementation of this system and screening practice via multiple funded research projects, consultation, and/or professional development workshops. In this area, she has used real-world datasets from partner schools to examine the factoral validity, consequential validity, and/or stability of four different screening measure, as well as the effects of between teacher differences on teacher ratings of student behavior. Dr. Splett also conducts research to identify cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies to reduce relational aggression and bullying in middle schools
Dr. Nathaniel von der Embse is an assistant professor of school psychology in the College of Education at the University of South Florida. His research has examined the influence of high-stakes testing on teacher and student wellbeing, the development of social-emotional screening tools, and the training of educators in population-based assessment methods to inform tiered and targeted intervention. He is an associate editor at the Journal of School Psychology, and serves as principal/co-principal investigator on funded research from the Scattergood Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Institute for Education Sciences, and the National Institute of Justice.
Behavior Progress Monitoring TRC
Selection criteria for the Behavioral Progress Monitoring TRC were: (a) member has a background in measurement and strong methodological skills and (b) member has strong expertise related to behavioral progress monitoring. Special attention was paid to including members with expertise on culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Members of the Behavioral Progress Monitoring TRC include:
Dr. Amy Briesch is an Associate Professor in the Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University. Her research interests include the identification and examination of feasible and psychometrically-sound measures for the formative assessment of student social behavior; the use of self-management as an intervention strategy for reducing problem behaviors in the classroom; and the role of student involvement in intervention design and implementation.
Dr. Sandra M. Chafouleas is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She also serves as Co-Director of the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health. She has authored over 150 publications, and regularly serves as a national presenter and invited speaker. She is a fellow in both the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science. She received the 2009 UConn Alumni Association award for excellence in graduate teaching, the 2016 APA Division 16 Oakland Mid-Career Scholar Award, and previously served as associate dean for The Graduate School (2012-2014) and then the associate dean for research in the Neag School (2014-2016). Prior to becoming a university trainer, she worked as a school psychologist and school administrator in a variety of settings for children with behavior disorders.
Dr. Tanya Eckert is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. Dr. Eckert specializes in examining new procedures for assessing academic and behavior problems and developing classroom-based interventions to improve children's academic and behavioral functioning.
Dr. Daniel Maggin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His research addresses three areas related to the education of students with and at risk for developing emotional and behavioral disorders including (a) the identification of evidence-based practices through the use of various research synthesis methods, (b) the training of school personnel to use a continuum of effective assessment and intervention methods to identify and treat students with varying behavioral profiles, and (c) the development of school-based methods to ensure that effective interventions are implemented with integrity.
Dr. David N. Miller is an Associate Professor of School Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. His research interests focus primarily on suicidal behavior and related internalizing problems in children and adolescents, particularly issues in school-based suicide prevention. He is the immediate Past-President of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), the oldest and largest membership organization in the U.S. devoted to understanding and preventing suicide and supporting those affected by it.
Dr. Chris Riley-Tillman is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational School and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri. He is one of the co-developers of Direct Behavior Ratings as well as a recognized authority in evidence-based practice in schools and the application of experimental design and analysis in applied educational settings. His research interests include development and validation of assessment and intervention methodologies that are both empirically supported and feasible, applied single case design, consultation and school-wide problem-solving models.
Dr. Howard P. Wills is an Associate Research Professor at Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, The University of Kansas. He is currently interested in school-based academic and behavioral interventions for students with challenging behaviors. Dr. Wills is co-developer of the Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Team (CW-FIT) program and directs CW-FIT efficacy research along with federally funded projects for professional development and interventions for high-school students with challenging behaviors or at risk for school failure.
Behavior Intervention TRC
Selection criteria for the Behavioral Intervention TRC were: (a) member has strong methodological skills and (b) member has a background and expertise in the evaluation of K-12 behavioral interventions. Special attention was paid to including members with expertise in single-subject design, as well as in evaluating the effectiveness of behavioral interventions with culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Members of the Behavioral Intervention TRC include:
Dr. Sandra M. Chafouleas is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She also serves as Co-Director of the UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health. She has authored over 150 publications, and regularly serves as a national presenter and invited speaker. She is a fellow in both the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science. She received the 2009 UConn Alumni Association award for excellence in graduate teaching, the 2016 APA Division 16 Oakland Mid-Career Scholar Award, and previously served as associate dean for The Graduate School (2012-2014) and then the associate dean for research in the Neag School (2014-2016). Prior to becoming a university trainer, she worked as a school psychologist and school administrator in a variety of settings for children with behavior disorders.
Dr. David F. Cihak is a Professor of Special Education and the University of Tennessee’s College of Education, Health and Human Sciences Interim Associate Dean and Director of the Bailey Graduate School of Education. His research interests include the use of effective instructional and behavioral strategies, specifically video, augmented, virtual, mobile, and context-aware technologies for improving educational, vocational, functional, and social/communicative outcomes for students with intellectual disability and autism in classroom and community settings.
Dr. Tanya Eckert is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University. Dr. Eckert specializes in examining new procedures for assessing academic and behavior problems and developing classroom-based interventions to improve children's academic and behavioral functioning.
Dr. Renee Hawkins is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of the School Psychology Program in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services at the University of Cincinnati. Her research focuses on empirically-validating interventions designed to improve the behavior and academic performance of students.
Dr. Keith Herman is a Professor in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. His research interests include developmental psychopathology and school mental health; prevention and treatment of child depression; and parenting and family interventions.
Dr. Nicholas Ialongo is a Professor in the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. His research interests include child and family psychology, adolescent substance abuse, and interventions research.
Dr. Kathryn Jaspers is an assistant professor of school psychology at Lewis & Clark College. Her interests include academic interventions and consultation, development of early math skills, and intervention efficiency, generalization, and maintenance.
Dr. Debra Kamps is the former Director of the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training and Associate Director and Senior Scientist at the Juniper Gardens Children’s Project at the University of Kansas. She has served as Principal Investigator of 11 projects receiving federal research grants in the areas of autism and emotional and behavioral disorders/risk, and has been publishing her research since 1983. Dr. Kamps's work has focused in the areas of small group instruction and peer-mediated interventions for children with autism and emotional and behavioral disorders.
Dr. Krista Kutash is Professor Emeritus, Child and Family Studies at the University of South Florida. The focus of her work has been to conduct and disseminate findings from an integrated set of research and training activities focusing on the implementation of community-based mental health services for children with serious emotional disorders (SED) with a special emphasis on school-based mental health services and support services for parents of children with SED.
Dr. Kathleen Lane is a Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. Her research focuses on exploring the relation between academic achievement and behavior patterns of children and youth with social/behavioral concerns. She has designed and evaluated comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered (CI3T) models of prevention across the K-12 continuum to support all students, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Dr. Daniel Maggin is an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His research addresses three areas related to the education of students with and at risk for developing emotional and behavioral disorders including (a) the identification of evidence-based practices through the use of various research synthesis methods, (b) the training of school personnel to use a continuum of effective assessment and intervention methods to identify and treat students with varying behavioral profiles, and (c) the development of school-based methods to ensure that effective interventions are implemented with integrity.
Dr. Elizabeth McCallum is an Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling, Psychology and Special Education at Duquesne University. Her research interests include developing and empirically validating academic interventions for students with and without special education eligibility; the taped-problems math intervention for building math fluency; academic and behavioral interventions that incorporate technology to improve student performance; and academic accommodations for students with special needs.
Dr. Merilee McCurdy is an Associate Professor in the School Psychology program at the University of Tennessee. Her research interests include the development of interventions to improve student writing achievement in elementary and secondary school students, the evaluation of student writing assessment procedures, and the use of parent tutoring to increase student academic performance in all academic areas. In past research, she has developed a writing intervention that has been successful in increasing the writing performance of middle school children with learning disabilities.
Dr. Samuel Odom is the Director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute and professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina. His recent research has addressed the efficacy of a variety of focused intervention approaches for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, such as peer-mediated interventions, sibling-mediated interventions, parent-child intervention to promote joint attention and an independent work systems approach to promote learning. In 2007, he received the Outstanding Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children.
Dr. Brian Reichow is an Associate Professor in Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies and the Anita Zucker Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies in the College of Education at the University of Florida. Dr. Reichow’s current research interests include the translation of clinical research into practical applications in schools and communities, the identification and evaluation of evidence-based practices, systematic review and meta-analytic methods and applications, and applied research in authentic educational settings.
Dr. Wendy M. Reinke is a Professor in the Educational, School, & Counseling Psychology department at the University of Missouri with primary research interests in evidence-based social behavioral and emotional interventions, school mental health, prevention science, and school-based consultation. She is the PI or Co-PI on over $20 million in federal research grants. She is the developer of the Classroom Check-Up, a teacher coaching and consultation model. She is currently the lead investigator of a six school district-wide mental health project that has developed a web-based assessment and reporting system to identify students at risk and provide appropriate supports. Additionally, she is the co-author on several books and chapters related to prevention of social emotional and behavior problems in youth and over 85 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Chris Riley-Tillman is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Educational School and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri. He is one of the co-developers of Direct Behavior Ratings as well as a recognized authority in evidence-based practice in schools and the application of experimental design and analysis in applied educational settings. His research interests include development and validation of assessment and intervention methodologies that are both empirically supported and feasible, applied single case design, consultation and school-wide problem-solving models.
Dr. Melissa Stormont is a Professor in the College of Education at the University of Missouri. Her research interests include investigating characteristics associated with risk and success in school; exploring teachers' knowledge and use of specific instructional practices for children at risk; and supporting children with ADHD in school. Prevention of emotional and behavior problems and the transition to kindergarten are primary areas of Dr. Stormont's research.
Dr. Leslie K. Taylor is a Project Manager at UT Physicians an affiliate of the medical school at the University Of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Taylor works with physicians, behavioral health providers, and faculty to evaluate and coordinate community based integrated and trauma informed care efforts for children and adolescents. She is a member of the advisory board for BridgeUP at Menninger (which creates opportunities to support school based intervention and prevention programming) and is a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas. Her research interests include building and sustaining capacities for high quality mental health programming in schools and other community based settings, school based trauma and disaster focused intervention planning, and teacher identification of student mental health concerns.
