Assistantships allows our PhD students to match their professional and academic interests with faculty led research and teaching initiatives. Most assistantships in the College of Education and Social Services involve the assignment of students to assist in faculty led research projects. Some assistantships are funded through external grants. Graduate level assistantships typically provide 10 or 20 hours of paid work experiences coupled with tuition scholarships.
A full-time 9 month assistantship is $24,000/year with 18 credits of full-time study.
Listed below is a summary of faculty led research projects. Prospective students should identify one or two possible assistantship opportunities. Through their application essay, prospective students should identify how their personal and professional experiences to date align well with the assistantship opportunity, as well as what skills they may bring to bear on the projects.
Research Assistantships
Garnett, Bernice: Catamount Community Schools Collaborative: University-School-Community Partnerships
Faculty Name: Dr. Bernice Garnett
Research Project: Catamount Community Schools Collaborative: University-School-Community Partnerships
Description: In this mixed methods project, we will focus on sustainable and mutually transformative structures, policies, and practices of the university-assisted community school model to support rural community school implementation. We are recruiting a PhD student to support applied community engaged research around community school implementation and sustainability.
Desired Student Interests/Experiences: Experience with K-12 and University partnership models; experience with educational policy analysis and community schools, mixed methods and implementation science.
Garwood, Justin: Project Burn and Turn
Faculty Name: Dr. Justin Garwood
Research Project: Project Burn and Turn
Description: The primary purpose of this project is to better understand the risk factors for special educator burnout and the consequences of burnout related to fidelity of implementation of behavior interventions to students with disabilities. The focus by national education agencies on identifying, validating, and scaling up effective school-based interventions has come along with a concern about teachers’ abilities to implement procedures with fidelity. Therefore, there needs to be an examination of the malleable factors that influence teacher burnout along with an in-depth inquiry into the specific mechanisms within burnout that trigger teachers’ low fidelity of behavior interventions. Not currently accepting students, but anticipate recruiting new PhD students for 2026-27 academic year.
Desired Student Interests/Experiences: Experience working with students with emotional and behavioral health needs; interest in pre-service and/or in-service teacher preparation; experience with statistical analysis, focus groups, or transcription.
Haines, Shana and Strolin-Goltzman, Jessica: Collaborative and Resilience-Oriented Practices
Faculty Names: Dr. Shana Haines and Dr. Jessica Strolin-Goltzman
Research Project: Collaborative and Resilience-Oriented Practices
Description: Our focus on collaborative and resilience-oriented practices includes numerous studies investigating what collaborative and family partnership practices are working well to keep teachers engaged in the field and how teacher preparation can improve collaboration and teacher resiliency. Current studies in this research line include (a) investigating the effects of an undergraduate travel study course on student identity development and disposition towards family partnership, (b) exploring the effects of family partnership on teacher wellness, (c) developing and testing a model of teacher preparation that involves a wellness and collaborative focus, and (d) exploring effective family partnership practices. We are recruiting PhD students to support these projects.
Desired Student Interests/Experiences: At least 2 years of experience teaching in public schools or supporting children and families in a related field.
Kervick, Colby: Collaborative and Resilience-Oriented Practices
Faculty Names: Dr. Colby Kervick
Research Project: Project CORE: Restorative Practices Implementation to Advance Equity and Inclusion
Description: In this mixed methods community-engaged research project, we examine implementation of Restorative Practices (RP) in a Prek-grade 12 school district as part of the district’s ongoing strategic commitment to equity and inclusion. We are recruiting a PhD student to join our interdisciplinary team in support of this community-engaged research project.
Desired Student Interests/Experiences: Experience with K-12 public education and supporting children’s social/emotional and behavioral needs; experience with mixed-methods and implementation science.
