Institute Fellows and Researchers

Dr. David Chard has served as the dean of the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development since the fall of 2007. Chard also served as associate dean for the College of Education at the University of Oregon. He has held faculty appointments at both Boston University and The University of Texas at Austin and in the late 1990s served as associate director of the Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts at UT Austin. Chard earned a Ph.D. in special education at the University of Oregon in 1995 and a B.S. in mathematics and chemistry education from Central Michigan University in 1985. His scholarly focus has been on the role of instruction in the development of basic literacy and numeracy skills for students with learning disabilities or those at risk for school failure. He has co-directed a number of federally funded model demonstration projects and research studies, and he has directed or co-directed several state and regional grants and contracts that have examined the improvement of schools and student achievement through the development of teachers’ knowledge and practice. Chard has published several research articles; co-authored and contributed to multiple book chapters; and either written or co-written numerous technical reports, monographs, and training guides. A frequent presenter at national and international education conferences, he has taught courses on behavior management, special education reading and writing, learning disabilities, and special education law. To contact Chard, visit the Southern Methodist University website.

Dr. Anne Foegen is an associate professor of special education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Iowa State University. Foegen received her doctorate at the University of Minnesota in 1995. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in assessment, instructional methods for students with learning disabilities, and mathematics methods for struggling secondary learners. Her research explores the development and implementation of progress-monitoring measures in mathematics across the K–12 grade range. She has pioneered research efforts to develop and evaluate progress-monitoring measures in algebra. Foegen has disseminated her work in papers published in The Journal of Special Education and Remedial and Special Education; in presentations for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Pacific Coast Research conferences; and through collaborative consulting activities with the Iowa Department of Education and school districts in Iowa and across the nation. To contact  Foegen, visit the Iowa State University website.

Dr. Russell Gersten is the president of RG Research Group and executive director of Instructional Research Group in Los Alamitos, California. Gersten is also professor emeritus in the College for Education at the University of Oregon. He received his doctorate in special education from the University of Oregon in 1978. He is a nationally recognized expert in both quantitative and qualitative research and evaluation methodologies. He has conducted two syntheses of intervention research on teaching mathematics to low-achieving students and students with learning disabilities. He served as an adviser for the mathematics component of the Title I evaluation in 2003. He also recently completed a research project on developing valid measures for early screening of students with mathematics disabilities and is currently pursuing research on early preventive interventions. To contact Gersten, visit the Instructional Research Group website.

Kristie Hotchkiss is a project coordinator for the College and Career Readiness Initiative: English/Language Arts Faculty Collaborative. Hotchkiss facilitates and provides ongoing professional development and collaborative opportunities in adolescent literacy to higher education faculty. She also designs instructional materials and strategies to integrate writing to learn and critical thinking across the content areas. Hotchkiss earned her B.A. from the University of Northern Colorado and her M.S. from Oregon State University in secondary education. She has 32 years of teaching experience with at-risk populations as a reading specialist, previously working for the Vaughn Gross Center for Reading and Language Arts on the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies project and as an English language arts instructional designer for an educational software company.

Min Kyung Kim is a graduate research assistant for MCPER's high school learning disability English I research study. Kim is a doctoral student at The University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Special Education with a concentration in learning disabilities and behavior disorders. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education and her master’s degree in special education while at Seoul National University of Education in Korea. Prior to her work at MCPER, she taught elementary students in inclusive classrooms for more than 4 years. Her research interests include effective reading intervention for elementary and secondary students with learning disabilities.

John McKenna is a doctoral student in the Department of Special Education with a concentration in learning disabilities and behavior disorders. McKenna earned a bachelor of arts degree in English at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master of education degree in special education from Boston University. Prior to working as a graduate research assistant, he held a variety of positions in day and residential programs in New England, including the New England Salem Children’s Trust, Italian Home for Children, and Walker Home and School. He most recently served as head teacher at the Elementary Stabilization Program, an extension of Newton Public Schools’ Inclusion Program. His current research interests include the responsible inclusion of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, systems of mental health and educational support, and strategies for empowering children with emotional and behavioral disorders and their caregivers.

Kati Morrison is a graduate research assistant for the Tier II Supplemental Mathematics Intervention: Grades 3 and 4 project, assisting with curriculum editing, data entry, and data analysis. Previously, she was the graduate research assistant for the 3-Tier Mathematics Project, assisting with curriculum writing, training, and educator coaching. She is a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology, focusing in school psychology. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in international relations and psychology and her master of arts degree in sociology at Stanford University. She received her teaching certificate through California State, Monterey Bay. She has taught second and third grades for the past 7 years in both public and independent schools.

Dr. Kathleen Hughes Pfannenstiel serves as project manager for the Validation of Early Mathematics Interventions project, an Institute of Education Sciences grant, and for the Tier II Supplemental Mathematics Intervention: Grades 3 and 4 project. Pfannenstiel assists in writing mathematical curricula and assessments, supervises mathematics interventionists, and serves as a liaison between MCPER and cooperating school districts. She obtained her Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin Department of Special Education with a concentration in learning disabilities and behavior disorders. She earned her bachelor of science degree in special education: high-incidence disabilities from Northern Illinois University and her master of education degree in education psychology from UT Austin. Prior to working at UT Austin, she was a special educator and special education department head in both Illinois and Central Texas. Her research interests include programs for students with behavior disorders and the reduction of at-risk behavior to decrease dropout rates. She is also interested in mathematic interventions for students with learning difficulties and students with learning disabilities from elementary through middle school.

Jennifer Ramirez is a coordinator of the project Algebra I Supplemental Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities at the High School Level: Observations and Intervention. Ramirez develops curriculum, works as a liaison between the project and the cooperating educators, and analyzes data. Previously, she was the mathematics specialist for the Secondary Special Education Observation and Intervention Study. She is working toward a master's degree in science and mathematics education at The University of Texas at Austin. She earned her bachelor of science degree from The University of Texas at El Paso, where she majored in mathematics and minored in physics. Ramirez has 4 years of teaching experience and is highly qualified in secondary mathematics. Her research interests include preparing mathematics teachers and teaching mathematics to secondary students with special needs.

JC Sanders currently develops the Tier II Supplemental Mathematics Intervention: Grades 3 and 4 project. Sanders assists in curriculum writing and teacher observations and is the liaison between the project and outreach educators. She earned her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies for elementary education, specializing in special education, from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, and her master’s degree in educational leadership through Concordia University Online. She has more than 9 years of teaching experience, working with students with special needs in first through eighth grades. Her research interests include developing mathematics curricula for students struggling in school and understanding how assistive technology can help students with disabilities.

Jennifer Tracey works for the Algebra I Supplemental Instruction for Students With Learning Disabilities at the High School Level: Observations and Intervention project, developing curriculum, observing and coaching cooperating educators, and assisting with data analysis. She earned her bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Texas State University and a master of arts degree in mathematics education from the University of Central Arkansas. She has 4 years of teaching experience at the secondary level and international experience with the Leysin American School summer program. Her research interests include examining intuitive mathematical thinking and developing mathematics curricula to bridge the gap between successful and struggling learners in mathematics.