REEL Faculty

Kirsten Abel
Clinical Assistant Professor
Reading & Elementary Education

Kirsten Abel is a former K-5 classroom teacher, mentor, and literacy coach. Dr. Abel shares her experience working with students and teachers by providing preservice teachers with instructional strategies on classroom management and student engagement using elements of The Responsive Classroom approach. Her focus also includes guiding teacher candidates in designing quality and equitable instruction […]

Daniel Alston
Associate Professor
Reading and Elementary Education

Dr. Daniel Alston joins us from the College of Education at Clemson University. Daniel is passionate about developing pre-service and in-service teachers and seeks to increase their excitement about teaching science through inquiry-based instruction. He is also interested in how emotions and personality influence teachers’ professional growth. Research Interests: Inquiry-based Instruction Science Teacher Professional Development […]

Ian Binns
Associate Professor
Reading and Elementary Education

Dr. Ian C. Binns is an Assistant Professor in elementary science education and Director of the Elementary Education Undergraduate Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He teaches undergraduate elementary science methods courses. His research interests focus on teachers’ and students’ understandings of science with attention on the nature of science, scientific inquiry, […]

Erik Byker
Professor
Reading and Elementary Education

Faculty Website Dr. Erik Jon Byker is an Professor in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Erik has a Ph.D. Degree in Curriculum, Teaching, and Educational Policy from Michigan State University and holds a M.Ed. Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Virginia. His […]

Anne Cash
Associate Professor
Reading and Elementary Education

Dr. Anne H. Cash is an Associate Professor in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She teaches courses for teacher candidates on child development and building effective contexts for student learning. Research Interests: Social and instructional interactions among teachers and students are fundamental to students’ learning […]

Madelyn Williams-Colonnese
Associate Professor
Reading and Elementary Education

Profile Dr. Madelyn W. Colonnese is an assistant professor in the Reading and Elementary Education Department. She teachers undergraduate elementary education courses and graduate courses in mathematics education. Her research focuses on mathematical writing. Students are often encouraged to write in mathematics class however, this writing does not always engage students in writing to advance […]

Karen Cross
Clinical Associate Professor & Program Director, Elementary Education Graduate Certificate in Teaching Program
Reading and Elementary Education

Dr. Karen B. Cross is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Reading and Elementary Education Dept. She also serves as the Director of the Graduate Certificate Program for Elementary Education. Dr. Cross instructs courses in the department that focus on lesson planning, instructional delivery, meeting the needs of diverse learners, assessment and classroom management. In […]

Debra Diegmann
Lecturer
Reading & Elementary Education
Miranda Fitzgerald
Assistant Professor
Reading & Elementary Education

Miranda S. Fitzgerald is an Assistant Professor in the Reading and Elementary Education department. Prior to completing her Ph.D. at the University of Michigan, Dr. Fitzgerald was a middle school special education teacher in Central Kentucky, where she taught English language arts and reading intervention courses, and collaboratively taught with content area teachers across disciplines. […]

Amy Good
Associate Professor
Reading and Elementary Education
Kia Jones
Lecturer and Undergraduate Advisor
Reading and Elementary Education
Alicia Stewart Kitten
Assistant Professor
Reading and Elementary Education
COED 377

Dr. Alicia A. Stewart is an Assistant Professor in the Reading and Elementary EducationDepartment. Prior to joining UNC Charlotte, she was an Assistant Professor in the Departmentof Special Education and Interventions at Central Connecticut State University. Dr. Stewartearned her Ph.D. in special education at the University of Texas at Austin, focusing on learningdisabilities and behavioral […]