Posted July 27, 2023 — Seven new faculty members will join the University of Houston College of Education for the new academic year, bringing expertise in areas such as the consequences of test bias, the impact of discrimination on health, and supporting students with disabilities after high school.

“The faculty joining the College this year represent an amazing depth and breadth of expertise and experience,” said Dean Cathy Horn. “Their superpowers will join with our already amazing faculty to move the College forward in ensuring that everyone has access to outstanding public education and a healthy environment in which to thrive.”

The professors say they were drawn to UH by the diversity of the student body and the city, as well as by the opportunity to work with passionate colleagues committed to removing barriers that can make it harder for people to succeed, in and out of the classroom.

“We are very excited to welcome these new colleagues who come to the College of Education from around the country,” said Mimi Lee, associate dean for faculty and staff belonging and success. “They bring a wide range of research interests and professional experiences, which will complement and enrich the ongoing work of our faculty.”

Read on for more about the new faculty members’ backgrounds, interests and inspiring projects.

Joanna Batt

Assistant Professor of Social Studies/Social Education
Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Education: B.A., history, French and Francophone studies, University of Notre Dame; M.A., language and literacy, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Ph.D., curriculum and instruction, social studies program, University of Texas at Austin

Most recent job: Ph.D. fellow at the University of Texas at Austin

What drew you to UH?

Teaching educators with pedagogy supported by counter-story art and history is incredibly important to me. Doing that work in Houston, where there is such a multicultural community of learners and teachers and such a rich landscape of arts and museums, feels necessary and exciting.

Can you share a little about your background?

I was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. After working as a journalist, I returned to Buffalo to teach 11th grade U.S. history for seven years. Not everyone in my family had access to education in the way I did, which helped me see the power, freedom and self-discovery education can give, especially to historically marginalized groups. This realization, plus parents who taught and did community work in education, fueled education to become my life’s work.

What are your research interests/areas of expertise?

I study how students’ experiences when learning history relate to their identities as people, and how history curriculum supported by the humanities can connect teaching and learning to students’ lives and foster equity in education. This was inspired by my high school students in Buffalo and the sixth graders and preservice teachers I worked with in Austin. There is no limit to students’ growth, agency and capacity for deep and critical historical thinking when educators listen to their stories.

What project has you excited?

I’m working with a colleague on how films such as the Disney remake of “The Little Mermaid” can be used to teach history. I love digging into how cultural and artistic moments that excite young people can become powerful teaching tools. My most recent project asked new high school graduates what they remember from history classes and how those classes can be improved. Their feedback highlights how changes in education policy and curriculum should listen to students, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ2IA+ students, and be informed by their experiences.

What advice would you give yourself as a college student?

College Joanna really knew how to live, so I don’t have too much advice for her. Mostly I would say explore as much as possible, embrace not knowing exactly what you want to do, and keep listening to your own intuition.

If I weren’t a professor, I’d…

In my fantasy, I’d be making scones in my own bakery, but most likely I’d be doing something in education because it’s my life’s purpose. 

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love spending time in nature — running, biking, wildflower walks and slowly taking in the outside world. Music, books and food, for myself and shared in loving community, also bring me joy.

Bernadette M. Castillo

Clinical Assistant Professor of Teaching/Teacher Education
Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Education: B.A., secondary education, University of New Mexico; M.A., secondary education, University of New Mexico; Ph.D., curriculum, instruction and teacher education, Michigan State University

Most recent job: assistant professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato

What drew you to UH?

The opportunity to return to the Southwest and work at a Hispanic-serving institution with diverse groups of students and faculty. The faculty and staff commitment to equity was critical to my decision. Houston is a dynamic city, and I’m eager to learn more about it from my colleagues and students.

Can you share a little about yourself?

I was born in California but grew up in a small town in New Mexico. My parents always encouraged my sister and me to go to college because they believed education would provide us with the opportunities they never had growing up. I taught English to middle and high school students for over 15 years. Although I never dreamed of being a university faculty member, I’m excited to work with future educators to help them realize their own dreams. 

What are your research interests/areas of expertise?

I’m interested in how K-12 educators engage and enact culturally responsive practices that promote equity in their classrooms and schools. My goal is to support practicing educators as they develop their skills to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students.

What project has you excited?

I’m excited to focus on developing my courses for the upcoming academic year.

What advice would you give yourself as a college student?

Remember that you belong. Allow yourself to try different things, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes because we learn from them.

If I weren’t a professor, I’d …

… be a photographer for National Geographic.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Traveling, going to the beach, and reading fiction.

Heather Dulas

Assistant Professor of Special Populations
Department of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies

Education: B.S., elementary education and special education, St. Cloud State University; M.A., education, Hamline University; Ph.D., educational psychology, Texas A&M University 

Most recent job: program director, Aggie ACHIEVE at Texas A&M University

What drew you to UH?

I was drawn to UH’s commitment to the community and the opportunities to engage in research with current practitioners in public schools. Before pursuing graduate studies, I spent 21 years as a high school special education teacher; I look forward to collaborating with my UH colleagues, students and our community schools to improve outcomes for people with disabilities.

Can you share a little about your background?

I am a first-generation college student. My younger brother is blind and has autism, so the field of special education piqued my interest from an early age. I have a tremendous respect for his teachers, who were true pioneers in designing programs for students with disabilities. My daughter and I moved to Texas so she could pursue her dream of studying chemical engineering.

What are your research interests/areas of expertise?

My research interests stem from my years in the high school setting preparing students for independent life after graduation. My work centers around identifying and increasing access to post-secondary education for individuals with disabilities; implementing evidence-based strategies to increase behaviors that encourage obtaining and maintaining employment; promoting self-determination skills among individuals with disabilities; and the training and retention of special education teachers in public schools.

What project has you excited?

I am hoping to expand on a study involving the perceptions of educators who serve as job coaches and conduct focus group interviews to learn more about the professional development needs in this area to increase student success in employment.

What advice would you give yourself as a college student?

Be more confident in your own voice. Each person has unique and valuable experiences to share, so don’t be so shy.

 If I weren’t a professor, I’d …

… be a travel photographer. I love exploring new places and capturing the local experience on camera.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I enjoy working out, reading, studying mixology, exploring local restaurants in the quest for the best queso, and spoiling my dog.

Elizabeth Jelsma

Assistant Professor of School Psychology and Human Development & Family Sciences
Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences

Education: B.S., psychology and Spanish, Tulane University; Ph.D., human development and family sciences, University of Texas at Austin

Most recent job: postdoctoral fellow at Michigan State University

What drew you to UH?

I was drawn to the opportunity to join an interdisciplinary department like PHLS with colleagues who have research interests overlapping with my own. I am excited to contribute to the innovative research and teaching happening within the HDFS and school psychology programs. I am also a huge Beyoncé fan, so I am excited to have landed in her hometown!

Can you share a little about your background?

I grew up in San Diego with a twin brother, a younger sister and two attorneys for parents. I knew from a young age that I did not want to go to law school! Growing up with a different-sex twin piqued my interest in nature versus nurture and contextual influences on development. Moving to New Orleans for college was extremely impactful as I started thinking about race, prejudice and privilege with regard to child and adolescent development. I never expected to stay in the South, but I don’t like cold weather, so it has worked out.

What are your research interests/areas of expertise?

I study the influence of discrimination and prejudice on child, adolescent and young adult development. My research has documented the harmful effects of race-related stressors for mental and physical health outcomes, and I am interested in examining stressors related to other minoritized identities beyond race and ethnicity. Reducing health disparities and eliminating racial bias from schools are strong motivators for my work. 

What project has you excited?

I am excited to engage the diverse UH student population in my research, both as collaborators and as participants to understand their experiences of identity-based stressors and health.

What advice would you give yourself as a college student?

Biology and chemistry are not your subjects. You don’t have to be a veterinarian in order to help animals.

If I weren’t a professor, I’d …

… be a massage therapist or work in an animal shelter.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Walking dogs at a local animal shelter, hanging out with my tuxedo cat named Frenchy (that I adopted from said shelter), yoga, swimming and discovering new restaurants.

Xin Li

Assistant Professor of Early Childhood Education
Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Education: B.S., early childhood education, Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University; M.A., early childhood education, Western Michigan University; Ph.D., early childhood education, Western Michigan University

Most recent job: postdoctoral fellow at Western Michigan University

What drew you to UH?

UH provides great opportunities for collaborations and community-centered education. I love the diversity and student engagement on the UH campus.

Can you share a little about your background?

I grew up in Guangzhou, China, with my parents, two brothers and one sister. As a first-generation college student, I didn’t imagine I would have a Ph.D. someday. A U.S. and Chinese university collaboration allowed me to begin graduate studies in Michigan in 2015. During my graduate program, I was also practicing teaching in infant, toddler, preschool and first-grade classrooms. I was fascinated by the connections between research and teaching and decided to continue in academia.

What are your research interests/areas of expertise?

My research focuses on the impact of pre-K funding, preservice teacher education, early childhood teacher job satisfaction, culturally responsive pedagogy, multicultural classrooms, and ecological environmental supports for marginalized children.

What project has you excited?

I am very excited to build collaborative relationships on the UH campus and in the community. I believe multidisciplinary collaborations and community engagement are powerful tools for high-impact research.

What advice would you give yourself as a college student?

Enjoy every moment that makes you smile and speak up for yourself.

If I weren’t a professor, I’d …

… be a designer. I have always been amazed by how product design can reflect art, history and technology. I believe better design can improve the lives of many people.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love exercise. I enjoy working out, hiking and traveling. I have recently started playing pickleball and dancing. 

Michael Matta

Assistant Professor of School Psychology
Department of Psychological, Health, & Learning Sciences 

Education: B.S., psychology, University of Milano Bicocca; M.S., psychology, University of Milano Bicocca; Ph.D., psychology, University of Milano Bicocca

Most recent job: research scientist at the University of Houston

What drew you to UH?

I’ve been a part of the UH community for four years, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with some amazing colleagues. When the College of Education opened a position in my area of expertise, I applied right away.   

Can you share a little about your background?

I grew up in a small town in northern Italy, not too far from Milan. I was a first-generation high school and college student. I’ve always felt like school and academia were my second home. The thrill of learning and exploring new ideas has always fueled my passion.

What are your research interests/areas of expertise?

My research focuses on the development and validation of computer-based methods to assess academic skills and behaviors of school-aged students. Additionally, I focus on examining the consequences of biased test scores on educational decisions and fairness. I became interested in this due to personal experience — in high school, no matter how much I studied, my English grades remained consistently low. Those scores certainly wouldn’t have predicted that I would become an assistant professor in an English-speaking country. We should interpret test scores as a starting point rather than a definitive measure of students’ abilities.

What project has you excited?

I have been working on a project examining the role of test bias in the assessment of writing. I’m interested in evaluating whether students from historically marginalized groups are unfairly penalized on high-stakes evaluations. Using advanced statistical methods, I plan to isolate the ability to write cohesive and well-organized compositions from other factors, such as test format, to better understand the intended and unintended consequences of test score interpretation and use on student academic success.

What advice would you give yourself as a college student?

Embrace new opportunities. You never know when a professor, exploring a topic you’ve never even heard of, might look for a research assistant. Stay open, curious and ready to embrace the unexpected. 

If I weren’t a professor, I’d …

… be a therapist. Not a particularly good one, so I’m glad we are on this alternate timeline.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I love spending time with my friends. What makes these moments even more special is that some of my friends are also from Italy. Having them around helps me feel less homesick and makes living and working abroad even more exciting.

Tairan Qiu

Assistant Professor of Literacy Education
Department of Curriculum & Instruction

Education: B.S., secondary English education, Purdue University; M.Ed., bilingual education, University of Florida; Ph.D., language and literacy education, University of Georgia

Most recent job: instructor and graduate assistant in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia

What drew you to UH?

Houston has a large immigrant and migrant community, which I am excited about working with as part of my transnational literacies research. I am also excited that my children can grow up in a large Chinese community while being immersed in the multilingual culture of Houston. Lastly, the UHCOE is committed to advancing education for ALL children and families, and UH is one of the most ethnically diverse public research universities in the United States.

Can you share a little about your background?

I was born and mostly raised in the southwestern borderlands of China in a city called Kunming. I am the first person in my family to receive post-secondary education abroad, and I am the first to receive a master’s and doctoral degree. I always wanted to be a teacher because both of my parents are teachers. I’ve taught students from second graders to adults in their 60s.

What are your research interests/areas of expertise?

As a transnational migrant and Asian woman living in the United States, I continuously navigate the complexities and nuances of entangled identities, cultures, languages and realities in spaces here, there and between national borders. Informed by my experiences, my research explores the myriad literacy practices of transnational youths, centering their stories and experiences. My primary research focuses on the mobility and dynamicity of language and literacy practices of multilingual youth and families in a transnational context of migration.

What project has you excited?

I am eager to start working with transnational girls of color in reading and writing (broadly defined) workshops this year.

What advice would you give yourself as a college student?

Try more things and read more books that are out of your comfort zone — things and books that push against what you’re familiar with or what you’ve been taught to believe growing up. 

If I weren’t a professor, I’d …

… have my own restaurant. This was my childhood dream. On the first floor would be a hot pot restaurant, and on the second floor, a café where families can do arts and crafts while drinking tea and coffee from my hometown.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

My family and I like swimming, hiking and exploring new restaurants. I also try to keep up with Chinese drama and reality TV shows.

— Photos courtesy of new faculty