LIME Faculty

Dr. Leanne Ketterlin-Geller

Hi, I am Leanne Ketterlin Geller and I’m a professor in the department of Education Policy and Leadership in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at Southern Methodist University. I hold the Texas Instruments Endowed Chair in Education and am also the director of Research in Mathematics Education unit. I earned my Ph.D. in 2003 at the University of Oregon. I enjoy engaging in research and scholarship focused on supporting all students in mathematics education through application of instructional leadership principles and practices. I have served as Principal Investigator for federally and state funded research grants emphasizing the development of formative assessment procedures in mathematics and valid decision-making systems for students with diverse needs in the general education curriculum. The context of my research efforts is elementary and middle-school mathematics with an emphasis on supporting students’ readiness for algebra. My research includes: a) Formative assessment design frameworks using modern test theory, including Item Response Theory; b) Empirical impact of accessibility features including accommodations and universal design on the validity of test-score interpretations and uses; c) Integration of theories of learning with test design to improve the relevance and usefulness of test results; and d) Mathematics teachers’ decision-making with a focus on integrating research-based instructional design and delivery principles with classroom-assessment results. I have published numerous articles and book chapters, and presented original research findings at local, national, and international conferences. I work closely with teachers and administrators to understand the application of measurement and assessment principles for making decisions in school settings. I was a high school science teacher and trained as a K-12 administrator.

Dr. Erica Lembke

Hello, I’m Dr. Erica Lembke, current Interim Dean of the College of Education at the University of Missouri and Professor and past Chair of the Department of Special Education, a position I served in for 5 years. I came to Mizzou in 2003 following completion of my Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. I am approaching my 20th year in the college. My research interests include data-based decision making, assessment and intervention for students at risk and with disabilities and their teachers. I currently have several federally funded grants directed towards teacher and school professional learning. I have participated as a Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on close to $10 million in federally funded projects. I enjoy providing professional learning to dozens of school districts across the state of Missouri and throughout the US, with over 200 local, state, and international presentations.

My current math focused research projects are:

• • • STAIR- a middle school math focused on data-based decision making.
    • Early writing project- writing with the use of data-based decision making.
    • Integrated MTSS rubric- part of the IES MTSS network project.

Dr. Sarah Powell

Hi! I’m Sarah Powell, and I’m as Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Texas at Austin. I’m originally a kindergarten teacher, and now I spend my days doing school-based research related to how to better teach mathematics. In my spare time, I like to travel. I recently bought an electric bike, so I’ve been exploring Austin on my bike.

I have several federally-funded grants focused on math and students experiencing difficulty with math. These projects include:

• • • Young Academic Music: Kindergarten. Working with kindergarten teachers to teach math through music.
    • RAAMPS: Grade 4. Tutoring fourth-grade students to become better at solving math word problems, with a focus on multi-step word problems.
    • SPIRAL: Grades 4 and 5. Providing professional learning and coaching to teachers who support students in small-group math tutoring.
    • Our Mathematical World: Grades 3, 4, and 5. Working with teachers to help students understand their math identity and how to use executive function skills in word-problem solving.
    • Other projects include
      • Using math-focused read-alouds in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten
      • Math writing in Grades 3-5
      • STAIR- Data-based decision making in middle school

Dr. Jessica Rodrigues

Hello! I’m Jessica Rodrigues, and I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri. My research program seeks to support the mathematics understanding of elementary and middle school students with or at risk for mathematics learning difficulties. My work has primarily focused on the content area of fractions, but my research has expanded to include other mathematics content areas as well. I also enjoy exploring strategies for communicating education research to broad audiences, such as ways of disseminating research via social media outlets.

My favorite way to spend time is hanging out and being silly with my 3-year-old daughter, 7-month-old son, and my husband. I also love to run, especially when it is warm enough to run outside on the beautiful Missouri trails.

Some current research projects include:

1. 1. 1. Exploration of elementary students’ awareness of jobs and STEM careers that use math and that use fractions in particular.
      2. Pre-service special education teachers’ mathematics anxiety, values, and teaching efficacy.
      3. An analysis of students’ fractions errors.
      4. LIME grant to build connections between mathematics, science, and literacy to support the learning of students with diverse learning needs.

Dr. Delinda van Garderen

Hi! I’m Delinda van Garderen. I am a professor and the current Chair in the department of Special Education at the University of Missouri. My research interests focus on students with learning disabilities, struggling learners, and teacher practice and development in the content areas of mathematics and science. I was recently awarded a National Institute of Health (NIH) Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) grant, designed to examine the impact of a professional development for integrating complex anchored texts along with inquiry-based instruction via multimodal STEM text sets with middle school science, English, and special education teachers.

My recent and current research projects include:

• • • How students and teachers use representations to solve mathematics word problems; student development and intervention in number (e.g., conservation of quantity, numerical magnitude).
    • Preservice teacher’s anxiety, values, and teaching efficacy for teaching mathematics
    • Use of Universal Design for Learning to plan instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners in social studies and science.
    • Examination of the impact of a professional development for integrating complex anchored texts along with inquiry-based instruction via multimodal STEM text sets with middle school science, English, and special education teachers.