Erikson faculty are available to speak to reporters on a range of issues in child development and education, including federal education policy, testing and assessment, infant mental health, the role of culture in child development and education, universal preschool, credentialing of teachers, preK–3 schools, child and family policy, child abuse and neglect, literacy and numeracy, bilingual education, and the recruitment of nontraditional candidates to the field of education.
Consult the list below for more topics of expertise. To contact any faculty member, please call Jeff Strayer at (312) 893-7109.
Barbara T. Bowman, M.A.
Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development
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Assessment of children’s learning
Bilingual education
Chicago Public Schools
Child care
Early childhood education
Education of poor and minority children
Moral development of children
Recruitment and retention of teachers
Role of grandparents
State and federal education policies
Teacher education
Technology in the public schools
Training of early childhood professionals
Universal preschool
Margret Nickels, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Children and Families
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International adoption
Trauma and loss
Attachment and bonding
Discipline
Separation anxiety
Transition into/out of home care or school
Bedtime and sleep
Peer relationships
Children and television
Jie-Qi Chen, Ph.D., Professor
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Assessment of children’s learning
Cognitive development
Computers in the classroom
Early education
Early numeracy and math instruction
Implications and applications of multiple intelligences theory
Role of culture in a child’s development
Teacher education and professional development
Linda Gilkerson, Ph.D., Professor
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Brain development
Early intervention
Fussy babies
High-risk children in hospital settings
Infant mental health
Robert Halpern, Ph.D., Professor
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After-school programs
Child and family policy
Early childhood intervention in developing countries
High school apprenticeship programs
History of services
Literacy in non-school settings
Parenting support programs
Prevention of child abuse and neglect
Program evaluation
Research on social theory
Services for families living in poverty
Jon Korfmacher, Ph.D., Associate Professor
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Child abuse and neglect
Education and licensing of infant mental health practitioners
Emotional development
Infant mental health
Treatment processes in early childhood interventions
Gillian Dowley McNamee, Ph.D., Professor
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Assessment of children’s learning
Child care
Early literacy development
Educational programs for preschool and school-aged children
Family literacy
Language development
Learning disabled children
Parent-teacher relations
Role of the arts in early education
Scripted instruction
Teacher education and professional development
Luisiana Meléndez, Ph.D., Clinical Assistant Professor
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Assessment in early childhood
Bilingual education
Teacher education and professional development
Samuel J. Meisels, Ed.D.
President and holder of the Irving and Neison Harris President’s Chair
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Assessment strategies in early childhood
Child care
Developmental assessment for young children
Developmental consequences of high-risk birth
Impact of both state and federal policies on the families of children with disabilities
Phonics vs. whole language approaches to reading
Recruitment and retention of teachers and principals
Standardized testing
State and federal education policies
Training of nontraditional candidates as teachers and principals
Aisha Ray, Ph.D., Associate Professor
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Bilingual education
Development of children in multigenerational caregiving families in urban communities
Parenting roles in unmarried, low-income couples
Role of fathers in African American families
Training early childhood professionals to work effectively in multicultural settings
Frances Stott, Ph.D.
Barbara T. Bowman Professor of Child Development
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Child care
Children and families at risk
Impact of violence on children
Life-span development
Parent-child relationships
Social-emotional development of young children
Sharon Syc, Ph.D., Clinical Associate Professor
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Brain development
Developmental psychology
Early intervention
Infant development
Special education
Teacher education