Celebrating the Contributions of our Faculty Fellows
The Crane Center partners with five faculty members from OSU’s College of Education and Human Ecology, who are an integral part of our research family. These fellows conduct high-quality early education research; mentor students, staff, and early career researchers; and contribute their expertise to Crane events and publications. Below are the highlights their work to the Crane Center, our college, and the field of early childhood education during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Dr. Arya Ansari studies factors that influence the early development of children from disadvantaged backgrounds, with the aim to inform policies and interventions impacting them. Currently, Arya is working on projects that study school-absenteeism and classroom composition. Arya regularly contributes his expertise to Crane events, including the Crane Research Forum. Thank you, Arya!
Dr. Matt Brock studies inclusion of students with significant disabilities in general education classrooms and teacher training on evidence-based practice. On top of his grant work, Matt is training the next generation of scientists. He uses his expertise to review graduate student publications and often co-authors research papers with students that he mentors. Thank you, Matt!
Dr. Tzu-Jung Lin studies children’s learning and development through social interaction with peers and teachers. At Crane, Tzu-Jung is an investigator on a project studying classroom ecology and regularly publishes on peer social networks in early childhood classrooms. Tzu-Jung has demonstrated mentorship to several Crane graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and staff members. Thank you, Tzu-Jung!
Dr. Shayne Piasta studies preschool and elementary literacy development. Shayne is an investigator on projects that study curriculum (like Alphabet Learning) and classroom practices. Additionally, Shayne’s commitment to training scientists is interwoven through her work at Crane. She actively mentors and supports Crane students and scholars. Shayne serves as faculty lead for the Crane Writing Group – a group that provides feedback on Crane researcher’s writing and dissemination. Thank you, Shayne!
Dr. Kelly Purtell studies policies and practices related to early childhood education and their influences on children’s development. Kelly’s recent work has examined policies that support kindergarten transitions and classroom composition. She regularly supports policy-related work at Crane. One example being to help plan and speak at a policy forum co-hosted by Crane. Kelly is also a member of the Schoenbaum Family Center/Crane Center leadership team. Thank you, Kelly!