The College of Education welcomes seven new tenure-system faculty members this academic year. Here are their bios and, in their own words, the impact they hope to make while at Michigan State University.
In addition, Dorinda Carter Andrews was appointed as the assistant dean for equity outreach initiatives in July 2016.
Beginning Oct. 1, 2016, Ann E. Austin will assume the role of associate dean for research.
In the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education:
Matthew T. Brodhead, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Utah State University
Matthew T. Brodhead is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst whose research examines behavioral determinants of response variability, choice and independent social skills in children with autism. He is also interested in research and conceptual issues relating to the ethical and professional behavior of practicing behavior analysts. He is on the editorial boards of The Analysis of Verbal Behavior and the Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Through workshops and consultation, he has established multiple school-based programs for children with autism, and he has provided training to teachers, related service providers and behavior analysts throughout the United States.
“I was raised in Northern Michigan, and I have lived or spent considerable time in all corners of the state. Because of this, I am well aware of the diverse values of Michiganders and the unique struggles they face. The land-grant mission of Michigan State University affords me the opportunity to use behavioral science to improve the lives of Michiganders with autism and their families, from Detroit to Copper Harbor. Together, we can help individuals with autism become independent citizens of this great state.”
Eunsoo Cho, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Eunsoo Cho’s research focuses on statistical modeling of reading development in students with or at risk for having learning disabilities, including students from language minority backgrounds. Her research has two strands: First, she is interested in developing and validating assessment methods to accurately identify students with learning disabilities within a multitiered support system, such as response to intervention (RTI). Second, her research focuses on understanding psychological and motivational processes involved in learning. She intends to develop a motivation intervention that can be combined with reading instruction for students with persistent reading difficulties. One of her co-authored articles in Reading Research Quarterly received the 2015 Albert J. Harris Award from the International Literacy Association. In 2016, she received the Samuel Kirk Award for best research article from the Division of Learning Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children. She is also a faculty affiliate in the Educational Psychology and Educational Technology (EPET) program.
“My research on assessment can make RTI more efficient by helping teachers identify students at risk for learning disabilities as early as first grade to ensure these students receive appropriate preventive services in a timely manner. In addition, understanding malleable psychological factors (such as motivation) associated with reading development can help us develop instructional procedures that promote both motivation and reading for students who struggle to read.”
Adrea Truckenmiller, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Syracuse University
Adrea Truckenmiller’s research interests broadly include adolescent literacy, writing assessment and data-based decision-making for instruction. Her previous funded projects explored the relation between important component skills of literacy and processes for identifying all students’ instructional needs. Currently, Truckenmiller is investigating the feedback loop between writing instruction and formative assessment of writing.
“A teacher’s job is as challenging as it is important in our society. In my research, I seek to make evidence-based literacy instruction more readily accessible to teachers and to help them meet the broad range of individual student needs in the classroom.”
In the Department of Educational Administration:
Chris Torres, Assistant Professor
Ph.D., New York University
The research of Chris Torres highlights how charter schools and shifting educational governance structures affect policy, practice and the careers of teachers and leaders in K-12 education. His work also examines the limits, possibilities and consequences of scaling up charter school models and expanding their practices into the wider public education system. Using mixed-method and qualitative methodologies, he is involved in studies that focus on charter school teacher and leader careers, teacher hiring processes in charter management organizations (CMOs), disciplinary methods in “no-excuses” charter schools and the implementation of portfolio management models (PMMs) in New Orleans, Denver and Los Angeles.
“Hopefully, my research will make an impact by shaping the conversation and thinking around educator quality and turnover in ways that systematically advance school improvement and equity.”
In the Department of Kinesiology:
Nicholas D. Myers, Associate Professor
Ph.D., Michigan State University
The research of Nicholas D. Myers is situated at the intersections of latent variable modeling and the study of psychosocial aspects of sport and physical activity. His two general lines of research are: (1) the measurement of some key constructs within sport and exercise psychology (e.g., self and collective efficacy beliefs, athletic performance, coaching competency and multidimensional well-being) and (2) the use of latent variable modeling (e.g., complier average causal effect estimation, exploratory structural equation modeling and multilevel modeling) in sport and exercise science. Myers also has an appointment in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education.
“Through my research, I hope to advance knowledge, improve the measurement of some key constructs and implement latent variable modeling in the study of psychosocial aspects of sport and physical activity.”
Leps Malete, Associate Professor
Ph.D., Michigan State University
Leps Malete’s teaching and research interests focus on international dimensions of youth psychosocial development through sport and physical activity, self-efficacy and athletic performance. He is also interested in physical activity, nutrition and childhood obesity, and the global and cultural dimensions of sport and exercise psychology more broadly. His other interests are international higher education partnerships and development.
“My research should provide guidance on how best to enhance positive youth development through sport as well as create wider awareness of global dimensions of sport and exercise psychology, especially African perspectives. This could be key to promoting global understanding.”
In the Department of Teacher Education:
Emery Petchauer, Associate Professor
Ed.D., Regent University
Emery Petchauer’s research has focused on the aesthetic practices of urban arts, particularly hip-hop culture, and their connections to teaching, learning and living. He is the author of “Hip-Hop Culture in College Students’ Lives” (Routledge, 2012), the first scholarly study of hip-hop culture on college campuses, and the co-editor of “Schooling Hip-Hop: Expanding Hip-Hop Based Education Across the Curriculum” (Teachers College Press, 2013). Nearly two decades of organizing and sustaining urban arts spaces across the U.S. inform this scholarly work. Petchauer also studies high-stakes teacher licensure exams and their relationship to the racial diversity of the teaching profession. Theories of social psychology and spatial studies inform this work, as do many years of working individually with preservice teachers to pass these exams. Petchauer has received teaching awards at both the high school and college levels, including the Board of Trustees Distinguished Teaching Award at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the nation’s first historically black university. He also holds a faculty appointment in the Department of English and coordinates the secondary English education program.
“I hope my work helps make schools more equitable and humanizing places for young people.”