The Department of Education
Chair
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Jeanne F. Brady, Jeanne F. Brady, Ph.D., chairs the Education Department at Saint Joseph's. She teaches courses in Social Foundations, Curriculum Theory, Ethics and Educational Leadership and is widely known for her scholarly work on feminist theory in education. Dr. Brady's professional publications include Schooling Young Children: A Feminist Pedagogy for Liberatory Learning and multiple journal articles and book chapters. Her present research focuses on alternative practices and theories of leadership. |
Faculty
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Mary DeKonty
Applegate, Mary DeKonty Applegate, Ed.D., came to Saint Joseph's in 1983 after teaching for ten years in elementary schools. She teaches the Reading/Literature II course and the Psychology of Teaching. In 1993 she was selected as the Pennsylvania Teacher Educator of the Year. Her publications appear in leading reading and literacy journals and she is co-author of The Critical Reading Inventory, currently in publication. |
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Joseph K.
Cifelli, Joseph K. Cifelli, Ed.D., Assistant Professor in the Education Department, was in basic education for 35 years. He has taught biology, chemistry and physics, chaired a high school science department, and was a middle school principal and a Director of Curriculum. He holds a B.A. in Biology from LaSalle University, a M.A. in Education from Chapman University and he received his doctorate as a member of Saint Joseph's first IDEPEL cohort. |
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Michael Clapper, Michael Clapper joins the education department after five years of teaching in the Philadelphia School District as social studies teacher. He recently completed a Ph.D. in American history from the University of Pennsylvania where his dissertation focused on school construction and site selection of schools in the Philadelphia region after 1945. Research interests include the intersection of race and space in school planning, developing critical social studies curriculum, and urban teacher education. |
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Terrance
Furin, Prior to joining the Saint Joseph's faculty in 2001, Dr. Terrance Furin, served as a school superintendent in both Ohio and Pennsylvania for twenty-two years and taught for twelve years. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in social studies, methodology and secondary level student teaching. In addition, he specializes in teaching Strategic Planning, Communications, and Facilities Planning within the IDEPEL Program. |
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Stephen P. Gary, Stephen Gary has had a broad range of leadership experiences in the for- and nonprofit educational sectors, developing and delivering programs and services for both producers and consumers. He has worked as a building administrator, manager, teacher and trainer in college, secondary and corporate settings, adapting content and instruction to the learning styles and needs of adults and adolescents. His professional interests include the application of emerging technologies to teaching and learning and the design and development of distance learning courses. |
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Raymond A. Horn, Jr.,
Prior to coming to Saint Joseph's in 2004,he was a Pennsylvania public school teacher for 30 years, and then served as an assistant professor of education at Stephen F. Austin State University and most recently at Penn State Harrisburg. Dr. Horn's research interests include educational leadership, educational change, teacher preparation, and critical pedagogy. He has authored four books relating to educational change, most recently, The Standards Primer. |
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Virginia
Goulding Johnson, Virginia Goulding Johnson, Ph.D., teaches courses in Educational Psychology, Social Studies Pedagogy, Reading Education, Gender Studies, Special Education and Educational Policy. Her research and scholarship interests are in teacher thinking, teacher development, classroom climate/management, inclusion, non-violent conflict resolution and school policies involving site-based management and community involvement. |
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Ailing Kong, Ailing Kong, Ph.D., came to Saint Joseph's in 2000. Dr. Kong taught in elementary and secondary schools in her native country China and on the university level both in the United States and in China. At Saint Joseph's she teaches Reading/Literature I and Creative Expressions at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her research interests include literacy development, classroom learning environment, and culturally and linguistically diverse learners. |
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Althier
Lazar, Althier Lazar, Ph.D., teaches literacy education courses, including Reading Literature I and II, Organizing and Planning a Reading Program, and Sociocultural Aspects of Literacy. Dr. Lazar conducts research in the areas of integrating diversity and literacy education and preparing pre-service teachers for urban classrooms. Her book, Learning to be Literacy Teachers in Urban Schools: Stories of Growth and Change (2004) is based on her work with pre-service teachers in Philadelphia’s public schools. |
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James Lee, James Lee, Ed.D., came to Saint Joseph's after many years of teaching and administration in K-12 public schools. He teaches leadership courses in the Masters and IDEPEL Programs and coordinates projects with PDE. His research interests include learning theory in relation to curriculum and instruction, relating adult learning to professional development and policy issues regarding the effect of academic standards on teachers' sense of efficacy and vocational commitment. |
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Robin Vann
Lynch, Robin Vann Lynch, Ph.D., teaches undergraduate and graduate foundations courses and Advanced Qualitative Research in the IDEPEL Program. Her research integrates three theoretical strands: curriculum theorizing, issues of educational and pedagogical equity and qualitative research methodology. Dr. Vann Lynch's work focuses specifically on the sociopolitical context of education and the ways in which critical and culturally relevant curricula can construct transformative pedagogies, particularly in urban classrooms. |
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Thomas E.
McDuffie, Jr., Thomas E. McDuffie, Jr., Ed.D., teaches science and mathematics methods courses to pre-and in-service teachers, as well as inquiry based physical and earth science courses. In addition, Dr. McDuffie's quantitative research background is reflected in graduate courses in process assessment for Hands-On Elementary Science. He serves as the Higher Education Consultant to the Science component of the Pennsylvania Assessment Through Themes (PATT) Project. Dr. McDuffie's publications have appeared in leading science education journals. |
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Martha Mercantini, Martha Mercantini is a professor in the Special Education Program. She will graduate with her Ph. D. from SUNY Buffalo in 2008. Her dissertation explores self regulation and transfer strategies used to improve students’ thinking and reasoning across constructs of secondary education. Her other scholarly interests include: teaching students with mild and high incidence disabilities at the secondary level, culturally responsive teaching methods and generalization strategies. Before coming to St. Joe’s, she taught English and Special Education for ten years in a variety of high school environments. |
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Robert Palestini, Robert H. Palestini, Ed.D., Dean of Graduate and Continuing Studies and Associate Professor in the Education Department, was in basic education for more than 30 years, first as a science teacher, then as principal and superintendent of schools. He came to Saint Joseph's, his alma mater, in 1990. His specialty is educational administration and leadership. He has authored six books on the topic, most recently The Human Touch in Education. |
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Encarna
Rodriguez, Encarna Rodriguez, Ph.D., teaches educational psychology courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs and Contemporary Curriculum in the IDEPEL Program. Originally from Spain, Dr. Rodriguez worked as a school psychologist for the Ministry of Education there for eight years. During that time, she participated in the comprehensive Education Reform Law, which she later documented in her doctoral work at Pennsylvania State University. Her book, Neolibealismo, Educacion y Genero,was published in 2001. |
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Eileen F.
Sabbatino, Eileen F. Sabbatino, Ed.D., taught special education for more than twenty years in the primary grades through high school in five states before coming to Saint Joseph's in 2002, where she teaches in the Special Education Program. Her research interests include transitioning from school to work for students with special needs, developing reading programs and urban education for students with disabilities. |
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Teri
Sosa, Dr. Teri Sosa teaches courses in Instructional Technology. She also teaches social foundations of education. Her main research interest is discovering ways to create empowering instruction for members of underserved populations. Prior to coming to St. Joseph’s University, Dr. Sosa coordinated graduate programs in Instructional Technology at Northern Illinois University. Her background also includes seven years experience in K-12 environments as a technology coordinator and 17 years of experience as a computer programmer and software designer. |
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Cathleen
G. Spinelli, Cathleen G. Spinelli, Ph.D., teaches in the Special Education Program and coordinates the Instructional Technology Program. She brings with her extensive experience in public school systems as a certified school psychologist, educational diagnostician, school administrator and special education teacher. Her professional publications include a textbook, Classroom Assessment for Student with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings,and numerous publications dealing with assessment, home-school partnerships, Attention Deficit Disorder, interactive teaching strategies, and inclusion and transition. |
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John Vacca, Dr. Vacca’s educational and professional backgrounds has centered on young children from birth to five. He earned a Ph.D. at Penn State University with a dual focus in Special Education and School Psychology. Dr. Vacca completed a two-year Post Doctoral Fellowship in Neuropsychology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His current research interests include parenting children with severe forms of physical disabilities as well as policies for school readiness for young children. Dr. Vacca is also the proud father of three boys. |
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Aubrey Wang, Aubrey H. Wang, Ph.D. teaches qualitative and quantitative research methods courses at the master and doctoral programs, including Teacher as Researcher, Principles of Quantitative Research, and Measurement and Evaluation of Instructional Outcomes. Prior to joining the St. Joseph’s University in 2007, Dr. Wang worked as an evaluation and policy specialist at the School District of Philadelphia, an associate research scientist at the Educational Testing Service, and a research assistant at the University of Pennsylvania’s Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Dr. Wang conducts research in the areas of the Black-White achievement gap and school and teacher effectiveness. |