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My research and teaching interests focus on three
main concepts/issues: culture (e.g., ethnicity, race, socioeconomic
status), gender, and citizenship, and the relationships among these
three facets and with the education system, in policy and practice.
While my primary research and teaching has a comparative and
development education focus, I also apply these concepts to research
in the U.S. education setting.
My personal and professional experiences have led me
to these areas of research and teaching. I spent the early part of
my career working with low income and immigrant students, and their
families, in urban schools. I also taught in other countries and
worked with international students in the U.S. My personal
experiences as a first generation female college student, and now
currently raising a bi-lingual and bi-national family also influence
my interest in understanding how education systems can best address
these factors of gender, culture and citizenship to create positive
learning environments.
My professional work has included consulting with
UNICEF, UNESCO, The World Bank, and USAID on projects related to
policies and practice of education in developing countries. Much of
this work has focused on gender and girls’ education, and education
of ethnic minorities. This work has included policy analysis,
research, and evaluation. My recent research and professional work
tends to be in SE Asia, Oceania, and Africa, though I have also
worked in South Asia and South America. I also work with local
school districts, in particular the Roseville Area School District
and the North St. Paul, Maplewood, Oakdale Area School District,
their administrators and teachers, to develop policies and practices
for creating an interculturally competent school/district.
I enjoy engaging with students and colleagues around
these issues, and teaching is one way to foster the creation of new
ideas. I include my recent research and policy work in my courses,
along with a strong theoretical foundation and practical
application. Teaching and learning extends beyond the classroom for
me by aiming to involve students, when possible, in my research and
professional work.
The Department of Educational Policy and
Administration, and the College and University as a whole, are
exciting and dynamic places for learning and research. It is an
exciting place to work with other colleagues in teaching, conducting
meaningful research, and providing service to our community.
Courses taught
- 5101—International Education and Development
- 5103—Comparative Education
- 5104—Strategies for International Development of Education Systems
- 5121—Education Reform in International Contexts
- 5056—Case Studies for Policy Research
- 5095—M.A. Research Seminar
Current research projects
- UNICEF/UNESCO Joint Project on Ethnic Minority Girls
Transition from Primary to Secondary School in Vietnam
- The World Bank Research Study of Recruitment,
Retention and Retaining of Secondary School Teachers in
sub-Saharan Africa (completed with David Chapman)
- Intercultural Development and Its Relationship to Teaching and
Learning
Education
- Ph.D., University of Minnesota, educational policy and
administration: comparative and international development
education, May 2002
- M.A., University of Minnesota, educational psychology:
counseling and student personnel psychology, August 1995
- B.A., Drake University, International Relations/Spanish, May
1990
For further information about my teaching, research, professional
work, or publications, please download my
CV.
November 2005
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