Expertise:
Teacher Education, K-12 Education, Disability Advocacy, Teacher Training, Special Education, Reading Intervention, College of Education and Integrative StudiesA leader in K-12 special education and teacher training, Heather Taylor has led teacher recruitment and retention work directed at getting high-quality teachers into high-need areas of special education. Her work includes the development of the Integrated Teacher Education program at Cal Poly Pomona, a combined four-year bachelor’s degree and credential program for future educators working towards a Special Education credential.
Taylor also wrote and directed the Special Educators of Excellence in Diverse Settings (SEEDS) personal development program, a $1.1 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education to help increase the number of special education teachers in Southern California. Through this program, 24 exceptional teachers entered the special education and adapted physical education professions.
Her research focuses on effective, culturally sustaining teacher preparation and teacher mentoring. Taylor also has an interest in reading intervention, technology use in special education, and the use of high-leverage practices developed by the Council for Exceptional Children to maximize the potential in K-12 education.
Recent Grants and Fellowships:
- S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Program, “Interdisciplinary Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services for Personal Serving Children with Disabilities Who Have High-Intensity Needs,” $1,100,000 (2018-2023)
- California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, “Dyslexia in the K-12 Classroom: Integration of the California Dyslexia Guidelines into Teacher Preparation Programs,” $25,000 (2022)
- California State University, “Residency Year Scholarship Program,” $20,000 (2020)
- California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, “Integrated Teacher Education Preparation Grant,” $250,000 (2017)
Selected Publications:
- With J.M. Van Boxtel, E.A. Foster, & S. Bueno, “Interdisciplinary teacher preparation using evidence-based, high-leverage practices,” In Interdisciplinary Preparation for Equitable Special Education (D. Slanda & L. Pike, eds., IGI Global, pp. 85-110, 2023)
- With J.M. Van Boxtel, “Preparing high-quality special education teachers for inclusive classrooms,” Accessibility, Compliance, and Equity in Education, January/February, 42-45, 2020
- With J.M. Van Boxtel, “Preparing skilled special education teachers,”
EdPrepMatters, 9, 2019 (Retrieved from) - With J.M. VanBoxtel, “Preparing skilled special education teachers,” SmartBrief, Aug. 29, 2019
Education:
B.A., English, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
CLAD Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, University of California, Irvine
Mild to Moderate Support Needs Special Education Teaching Credential, Chapman University
M.A., Education, Chapman University
Ph.D., Education, Claremont Graduate University
Languages:
English