Tashia Abry is an Institute of Education Sciences predoctoral fellow in the Educational Psychology, Ph.D. program at the Curry School of Education. Tashia received her Bachelor of Arts from Prescott College and a Masters of Education from the Curry School. Prior to her graduate studies, Tashia served as the Prevention Coordinator at a regional Community Service Board, overseeing their school-based prevention services. Tashia’s primary interests include classroom contexts and teaching practices that promote the development of the whole child. Specifically, her work focuses on the evaluation of school- and classroom-based interventions and on understanding the mechanisms by which such interventions influence targeted outcomes. She also has a special interest in quantitative methodology and research designs that support causal inference. Presently, Tashia is working on a randomized control trial of the Responsive Classroom (RC) approach where she is examining the relation between RC training, implementation, and teacher-student interaction quality. In addition, she is exploring the relation between implementation of specific RC practices and children’s academic achievement, and the subgroups of students for whom RC practices are most effective. Her advisor is Dr. Sara Rimm-Kaufman and her co-advisor is Dr. Chris Hulleman.

Carol Clark is an Institute of Education Sciences predoctoral fellow in the Educational Psychology: Applied Developmental Science program. Prior to returning to graduate school, she was a classroom teacher, literacy specialist, and teacher leader in grades K-8 for fifteen years. Carol taught in Virginia, Washington state, Egypt, and her home state of Texas before choosing to pursue a career as a research scientist. Carol holds master’s degrees in Reading Education and Educational Psychology: Applied Developmental Science. Her research interests include support for teachers, socioemotional development, fidelity of implementation, program evaluation, and community service learning.

Eileen Merritt is a fourth year Institute of Education Sciences predoctoral education fellow in the Applied Developmental Science/ Educational Psychology program. She received her B.A. in elementary education from The College of William and Mary, and her MEd. in Science Education from the University of Virginia. She studies effective teaching practices in elementary science and mathematics classrooms, and whether students with academic or sociodemographic risks benefit more from effective instructional practices than students with no risks. She also has a strong interest in environmental and sustainability education. Before entering the doctoral program, Eileen taught fourth grade for many years at Stone-Robinson Elementary where she enjoyed hiking to the Rivanna River with her students. She also taught sixth grade math and science in Chesapeake City Schools. In her free time, Eileen likes to be outdoors whenever possible, and enjoys spending time with her family.

Holly H. Pinter is a second year doctoral student in the Mathematics Education program. Her research interests include teacher quality, middle school mathematics education, student discourse practices, and pre-service teacher preparation. Before entering the doctoral program, Holly taught seventh and eighth grade mathematics for five years in Buncombe County Schools in Asheville, North Carolina. Holly has a Masters of Arts in Education with a focus on middle grades mathematics and language arts instruction. Holly is a group fitness instructor in her spare time and loves to use exercise as stress relief. With the time left, Holly enjoys spending time with her “family” consisting of two cats, two dogs, and an amazing husband.