Faculty

The school psychology program area faculty consists of four core faculty , one full time professional and administrative staff person and several adjunct faculty members for a variety of areas.

Matthew Kevin Burns, Ph.D., Andrews University
Dr. Burns is a professor of educational psychology and coordinator of the school psychology program. Dr. Burns's research interests center around academic interventions and systemic implementation thereof through a response-to-intervention (RtI) model. Thus, he currently teaches a course and supervises a practicum experience regarding the implementation of academic interventios. Dr. Burns was a school psychologist and special education supervisor in districts within two states with varying student populations. He is also a past president of the Michigan Association of School Psychologists and was a faculty member for five years at Central Michigan University.

More specifically, Dr. Burns's research interests include establishing an instructional match between curricular materials and individual student skill levels through curriculum-based assessment for instructional design, effective methods for rehearsal and practice in initial learning, and problem-solving teams. Dr. Burns is currently the editor of Assessment for Effective Intervention, an associate editor for School Psychology Review, the contributing editor for RtI with the National Association of School Psychologists' Communique, and serves on the editorial boards for Journal of School Psychology, Psychology in the Schools, and Remedial and Special Education. Moreover, Dr. Burns has co-written or co-edited four books about RtI and was a co-author of School Psychology: A blueprint for training and practice.

Theodore J. Christ, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
Dr. Christ is an assistant professor in the school psychology program since 2005. He teaches courses in psycho-educational assessment, legal and ethical issues in school psychology, and supervises field-based practicum.

Dr. Christ's professional interests include (a) the promotion, improvement, and evaluation of school-based problem solving practices and data-based decision-making; (b) measurement and assessment of achievement and aptitude (with a focus data collection for problem solving activities); (c) psychometrics and data analysis to identify, develop and implement useful instruments and practices within school-based settings [such as curriculum based assessment/measurement (CBA, CBM), dynamic indicators of basic skills (DIBELS), and curriculum based evaluation (CBE)]; (d) assessment linked intervention design and implementation to prevent and remediate social and academic problems, and (e) early intervention and prevention of social and academic problems.

Dr. Christ has published research on the psychometric characteristics of CBM/CBA and school-based interventions. Current and future research will continue to examine school-based assessment and intervention. He is currently editing a special issue of The Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, which will feature research on the components and implementation of Response to Intervention models of service delivery. Dr. Christ serves on the review boards of both The School Psychology Review and Psychology in the Schools.

Sandra Christenson, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Dr. Christenson is professor of educational and child psychology at the University of Minnesota. Her research is focused on interventions which enhance student engagement with school and learning, and identification of contextual factors that facilitate student engagement and increase the probability for student success in school.

She is particularly interested in populations that are most alienated from traditional schooling practices and/or at highest risk for non-school completion. Her recent investigations are aimed at understanding how students make a personal investment in learning and ways to promote the role of families in educating students.

Dr. Christenson has published extensively about theory, research, and strategies for engaging parents in school and learning. She has served on several editorial boards and is section editor for School Psychology Quarterly and co-editor for the book series, Applying Psychology to the Schools. Dr. Christenson was the 1992 recipient of the Lightner Witmer Award from American Psychological Association (APA) for scholarship and early career contributions to the field of school psychology.

Anastasia L. Hansen, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Dr. Hansen holds a Ph.D. in psychology (school psychology) from the University of Minnesota. She has worked as a school psychologist in the Minneapolis Public Schools for the past three years, before joining the U of M staff in fall of 2008. Dr. Hansen is the field placement coordinator for the program, as well as a lecturer in the areas of assessment and multicultural issues in education. Her teaching and research interests include reducing bias in assessment, urban education, LGBT issues, and at-risk groups in schools.

Amanda L. Sullivan, PhD, Arizona State University
Dr. Sullivan is an assistant professor of educational psychology and a member of the school psychology program faculty. Dr. Sullivan holds a PhD in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in School Psychology from Arizona State University. Before joining the U of M faculty, she was an assistant professor at Arizona State University and the evaluation coordinator for the National Center for Culturally Responsive Education, National Institute of Urban School Improvement, and Co-Director of Research for the Equity Alliance at ASU.

Dr. Sullivan’s research employs a prevention sciences perspective to (a) understanding the ecological and interpersonal factors that place children and youth at risk for educational disabilities and mental health problems, and (b) exploring professional issues related to providing evidence-based school psychological services for diverse learners from early childhood through young adulthood. In one line of work, she takes an epidemiological approach to understanding the systemic prevalence and ecological correlates of early developmental delay, health and mental health problems, and the high-incidence disabilities—and the intersections thereof—among young children and school-aged populations. Her second area of interest addresses professional training and practice issues related to multi-tiered academic and behavioral supports and psychoeducational evaluation for diverse learners, including those with health impairments and learning difficulties.

Dr. Sullivan has published research on disproportionality in special education, culturally responsive practices, interventions for English language learners, and professional preparation and practices related to RTI and PBIS. Current and future research will examine educational and health disparities among children with and at-risk for educational disabilities, with particular a focus on early childhood and adolescence or early adulthood, as times of critical transition.

James Ysseldyke, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Dr. Ysseldyke is professor of educational psychology and graduate faculty of psychology. Dr. Ysseldyke's teaching interests focus on education and development of students with mild disabilities and on assessment in school contexts. Dr. Ysseldyke's research has focused on issues and concerns in appropriate instruction of students, especially those at the margins.

He currently is directing two major national policy studies, one investigating the effects of open enrollment (public school choice) legislation, the other concerned with assessment of educational outcomes for students and school systems. Dr. Ysseldyke is author of four major textbooks and two tests and he is past editor of School Psychology International and Exceptional Children. He is a fellow in the School Psychology and Educational Psychology Divisions of APA, was the 1974 recipient of the APA Lightner Witmer Award, and the 1995 recipient of the Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children.

Adjunct faculty

Byron Egeland, Ph.D., University of Iowa
Dr. Egeland is the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychology and adjunct professor of educational psychology, and graduate faculty of psychology. Dr. Egeland's teaching interests are in developmental psychopathology, research design, and early development. He is principal investigator of the Parent-Child Project, a longitudinal study of high-risk children and their families. He also is principal investigator of the observational study of high-risk families in the JOBS and New Chance programs.

Dr. Egeland is a member of the Board of the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, the Children's Division of the American Psychological Association, and was a member of the National Academy of Science Panel on Child Abuse and Neglect. He is a fellow in the School Educational and Clinical Psychology Divisions of the American Psychological Association, and he is a fellow in the American Psychological Society and the American Association of Applied and Preventive Psychology. Dr. Egeland is currently working on a project with the Harris Programs.

Scott McConnell, Ph.D., University of Oregon
Dr. McConnell is professor of educational psychology and child psychology. Dr. McConnell is also director of the Center for Early Education and Development. Dr. McConnell's teaching interests focus on the application of behavioral assessment and intervention planning techniques in school psychology, especially as used in early and preventive intervention for academic and social problems.

His research interests focus on children's development of necessary skills for social interaction and school adjustment, descriptive and intervention studies with children exposed prenatally to drugs or alcohol, and the design of intervention procedures that promote behavioral maintenance through access to naturally occurring reinforcement contingencies. Dr. McConnell was formerly the Director of the Institute on Community Integration, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities.

Richard Weinberg, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Dr. Weinberg is the Birkmaier Professor of Educational Leadership, professor of child psychology, adjunct professor of educational psychology, and graduate faculty of psychology. Dr. Weinberg's teaching interests focus on the history of child development, the application of current knowledge about the development of children in the educational enterprise, and psychoeducational assessment in various contexts. He is the former director of the Institute of Child Development and immediate past chair of the advisory council for the University's Children, Youth, and Family Consortium.

Dr. Weinberg is author of two textbooks, one on observation and one an introduction to child development. His research interests include the study of developmental behavior genetics and individual differences in various domains of psychological functioning. Dr. Weinberg is past-president of the American Association of State Psychology Boards and a Fellow of the School Psychology, Educational Psychology, and Developmental Psychology Divisions of the American Psychological Association, and he is a fellow and a member of the board of directors of the American Psychological Society.

He is currently involved in a collaborative project at the Civitan International Research Center at the University of Alabama in Burmingham working on a project with academically capable Headstart children. He also is involved in a project with the Harris Programs.

Affiliate faculty

Brian Abery, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Dr. Abery is coordinator of school-age services, Institute on Community Integration, a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Abery's teaching interests focus on the education and community inclusion of students with developmental disabilities. He is principal investigator of several research projects designed to better understand those factors related to the social and community inclusion of children, young adults, and adults with developmental disabilities as well as facilitate the development of an enhanced sense of inclusion for this group of individuals.

Dr. Abery directs a second program of research aimed at developing conceptual frameworks and strategies to assess and enhance the self-determination of students with disabilities within home, school, and community settings. He is co-editor of a recent book that explores the challenges faced by the current system for providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Nicki Crick, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Dr. Crick is Director and Professor at the Institute of Child Development (ICD) and Director of the Center on Relational Aggression (CORA), University of Minnesota. Dr. Crick received her Ph.D. in 1992 in Clinical Psychology from Vanderbilt University with a minor in Statistics and Research Methodology. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) and of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

Dr. Crick has been the recipient of numerous prestigious national honors including the Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology from APA (2002), the Boyd McCandless Award from APA (1995), a Faculty Scholars Award from the William T. Grant Foundation (1995-2000), and a FIRST award from the National Institute of Mental Health (1995-2000).

Amy Esler, PhD, University of Minnesota
Amy Esler is a psychologist in the Autism Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Program at the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children's Hospital and an assistant professor in the Pediatric Clinical Neuroscience department of the University of Minnesota. She specializes in early risk markers, diagnosis, and treatment of children under age 3, and she currently is involved in multi-site research studies of autism genetics and patterns of onset and language development in diverse cultures.

Dr. Esler has extensive experience in diagnostic assessment of individuals on the autism spectrum from infancy to adulthood. Through the Autism Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Program, Amy provides intervention services, including a parent-child play and support group for newly diagnosed families, social skills groups for school-age children, and individualized behavior support consultation.

Yvonne Godber, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
Dr. Godber teaches the core academic and social-emotional intervention course for graduate students. She became the coordinator for the newly established Center of Excellence in Children's Mental Health (CECMH) in September 2003. In this position, Yvonne works with University and community partners to build connections and strengthen links between research, practice, policy, and collaborative action in the state of Minnesota on behalf of children and youth. CECMH is one of key actions items for the President's Initiative on Children, Youth, and Families, which is administered by the Children, Youth, and Families Consortium.

Prior to joining CECMH, Yvonne conducted policy research at the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University. Her background as a school psychologist in the Utah public schools continues to influence her strong interest in improving the systems that surround and affect children's development and well-being. Yvonne earned her M.A., S.C., and Ph.D. in school psychology/educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, and remains affiliated with the program as a lecturer and adviser.