People

Director
Robert Pianta, Ph.D. is the Novartis US Foundation Professor in the Curry School of Education, and Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia where he also directs the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning.  Pianta's research and policy interests are in research on classroom settings, their contributions to child outcomes in preschool and the early school years, and how to improve teaching and learning in classrooms. 

Co-Investigators

Donna M. Bryant, Ph.D. is a Senior Scientist and the Associate Director of the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Research Professor in the School of Education.  Dr. Bryant has authored many papers and chapters on early intervention and early childhood education and is the co-author of 2 books, one on home visiting and another on early intervention.
Margaret Burchinal, Ph.D. is the Director of the Design and Statistical Computing Unit at the FPG Child Development Institute and is a Research Professor in the Psychology.  She has pursued her substantive interest in early education as a means to improve school readiness for at-risk children, and is a leading contributor to this literature.

Carollee Howes, Ph.D. is a Professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. Dr. Howes is interested in very young children’s development of interpersonal relationships. She studies peer interaction, particularly friendships and social pretend play in toddler and preschool age children. She also studies attachment relationships between children and their adult caregivers, mothers and other-than-mothers.

Karen M. La Paro, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. She teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in the birth-kindergarten teacher preparation program.  Her research interests include classroom quality and professional development.  One of her major areas of research is examining teacher beliefs and practices of pre-service teachers as they progress through their educational program.
Catherine Scott-Little, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at UNC-Greensboro, where she teaches in the Birth Through Kindergarten teacher preparation program. Dr. Scott-Little's research interests include issues related to teacher preparation, early learning standards and early childhood assessments.


Staff
Jen Mashburn is the Administrative Coordinator for the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education.  Ms Mashburn is the main point of contact for the Center coordinating the Leadership and Dissemination activities. 
Grace Funk, M.A.T. is the Consultancy Coordinator for the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education.  She is also working with the Center’s curriculum development team, and serves as the Outreach Coordinator for the MyTeachingPartner project.
Sarah Hadden, Ph.D is the Curriculum Development Coordinator, she is also a research associate in the Curry School of Education. Dr. Hadden's research interests include: social and educational policy designed to promote the health and development of young children, strategies to support successful transitions in early childhood and interventions to promote school success for children who are at-risk for school failure or who have mild disabilities.
Allison Hall, MEd. is the Curriculum Development Specialist, she is also a research scientist in the Curry School of Education. She is a certified speech language pathologist and her research interests include preschool language and literacy development.
Bridget Hamre, Ph.D. is the Center's Research Cooordinator and a a clinical and school psychologist. Her primary research interests lie in integrating psychological and educational theory and methodology. In particular, she is interested in identifying classroom-level processes that facilitate children's academic, social, and emotional development.
Laura Justice, Ph.D., is a clinical speech-language pathologist and applied researcher in early childhood language and literacy development, communication disorders, and educational interventions. Laura's research interests include: literacy and language development in young children; language disorders; parent-child communication; intervention effectiveness; evidence-based practice

Marcia Kraft-Sayre, LCSW is the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education Professional Development Study Coordinator , as well as the Project Coordinator for the MyTeachingPartner project.

Wanda Weaver, MEd is the Coordinator for the Child Assessment component of the National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education Professional Development Study.

Steve Whitaker, Ph.D.  is the Coordinator of Technology for tthe National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education Dr. Whitaker has worked with pre-service and in-service K-12 teachers across the Commonwealth of Virginia, exploring how technology can enhance the teaching and learning experience in their classrooms. His teaching and research have focused on how digital technologies can assist the needs of students in special populations.
 
     
 
funded by IES through the National Center for Education Research (NCER)

©2007 National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education