Passaic Today

Montclair State University has announced the availability of several faculty experts who can provide insights on various issues related to K-12 education, including teaching, student experiences, and classroom dynamics. The university encourages reporters to refer to their expert guide and contact the Media Relations team for interview arrangements.

Mayida Zaal, Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning and co-director of the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy, focuses her research on participatory action research (PAR) as a transformative pedagogy and the lived experiences of immigrant-origin youth. She is particularly interested in preparing teachers for diverse settings.

Carlos McCray, Professor of Educational Leadership at Montclair State University, specializes in urban school leadership, organizational diversity, educational equity, and the high attrition rate among urban K-12 students due to suspensions and expulsions.

Zoe Burkholder, Professor of Educational Foundations and founding Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education Project, is an historian of education with expertise in educational equality in K-12 schools. Her areas include antiracist education, school desegregation history, and the underrepresentation of teachers of color in public schools.

Lisa Lieberman serves as Professor and Chair in the College for Community Health. She is an expert on sex education, tobacco use prevention, student health policies, and has collaborated with Eva Goldfarb on research demonstrating that comprehensive sex education can prevent child sex abuse and intimate partner violence while improving environments for LGBTQ students.

Stephanie Silvera is a Professor in the Department of Public Health at Montclair State University and Acting Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs in the College for Community Health. Her expertise includes epidemiology with a focus on cancer outcomes disparities by race/ethnicity and COVID-19.

Jeremy Fox is an Associate Professor of Psychology whose expertise lies in child mental health with a particular focus on anxiety and depression among children and adolescents. He offers commentary on childhood behavioral difficulties and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Christopher Donoghue is a Professor of Sociology specializing in adolescent bullying. He also edits "The Sociology of Bullying: Power, Status and Aggression Among Adolescents" with research covering sex education as well as ethnic and racial prejudice.

Emily Isaacs is Executive Director of the Office of Faculty Excellence and Professor of Writing Studies. Her work centers around writing pedagogy assessment along with teaching technology integration within higher education contexts.