Chauncey Monte-Sano is Professor of Educational Studies at the University of Michigan. Her scholarship centers on how adolescents learn to reason and write with sources about historical and social issues, how teachers learn to teach these practices through inquiry, and how such instruction can challenge inequities in students’ literacy outcomes. Prior to her work at U-M, she taught high school in California, earned National Board Certification, completed a Ph.D. at Stanford University, and worked at the University of Maryland. She enjoys biking, playing winter sports, and spending time outdoors with her husband and two children.
Mary Schleppegrell is Professor of Literacy, Language, and Culture at the University of Michigan. Her research develops approaches that enable English language learners and all students who need literacy support to participate in inquiry learning. She has previously worked with the California History/Social Studies Project and is the author of The Language of Schooling and numerous articles and books related to language in school subjects.
Amanda Jennings is a Research Investigator at the University of Michigan. She supports the TRIPSS project in the design, implementation and evaluation of professional development. Her research focuses on understanding children’s naive economics theories in an effort to better design social studies curricula. Prior to working at University of Michigan, Amanda earned her Ph.D. at University of Delaware where she worked as a researcher at UD’s Center for Economic Education cultivating research practice partnerships with schools and districts and developing second and third grade economics curricula. Amanda also has experience teaching middle and high school.
Aileen Kennison is the TRIPSS project coordinator. She joined the University of Michigan School of Education in 2012 as a project manager for research projects, specializing in the logistics of data collection. In addition to supporting TRIPSS, Aileen also currently manages three National Science Foundation grants and works with undergraduate students as a field instructor and lecturer in the Elementary Teacher Education program. From 2003-2012, Aileen worked as a school administrator and a high school history teacher in California. She has an MS in educational administration and a BA in history from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, antique shopping, and spending time with her husband and three kids.
Sarah Day Dayon supports TRIPSS as a research assistant. She is a pinay educator and learner from the suburbs of Chicago, the contemporary and ancestral lands of the Council of Three Fires (the Ojibwa, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples) and the various Indigenous communities that have and continue to call this land home. Prior to beginning a doctoral program and Teaching and Teacher Education at UM, Sarah Day taught high school U.S. history, world history and Ethnic Studies. She received her BA in Ethnic Studies and Biology as well as her MAT in Secondary Social Studies from Brown University. She enjoys k-pop, trivia, karaoke, and traveling to new cities.
Rebecca D’Angelo supports Read.Inquire.Write as a research associate. She earned her M.A. in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan, and her B.A. in History and Anthropology from the University of Connecticut. Prior to her work at U-M, Rebecca taught high school history in the greater Boston area and supported high school and university ESL teaching as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Norway. She’s a big fan of cats, banjos, and deli pickles.
Mar Estrada supports research, curriculum development, and professional development for Read.Inquire.Write. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Teaching & Teacher Education at U-M: she focuses on inquiry-based and literacy-infused historic and social education for adolescents. She is from Mexico, where she participated in indigenous and rural educational projects, researched educational policy, and taught at different grade levels. She has a master’s degree in Philosophy of Science and a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Social Sciences. Her favorite musical genres are son jarocho and son huasteco.
Mina Hernandez Garcia is a former English as a Second/Foreign Language teacher and a mentor to novice and developing teachers working in high-needs New York City public schools. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Studies at the University of Michigan. She earned her M.S. in TESOL from the City College of New York and her B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Belgrade, Serbia.
Logan Eiland is a PhD student in Teaching and Teacher Education at U-M. Logan is from originally from Virginia and earned his BA in History and MAT in Secondary Social Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to joining the program at Michigan, Logan taught World History, and US History at a high school in Richmond, Virginia. He likes to cook, discover and play new board games, and visit used book stores in his free time.
Sida Sun supports the Read.Inquire.Write. project as a Graduate Student Research Assistant. She earned her M.A. in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan, and her B.A. in Korean Language and Literature from Beijing Language and Culture University. Before coming to the U.S. for her graduate study in 2016, Sida taught TOEFL writing, SAT writing, and ACT writing for years in Beijing. In her free time, she enjoys learning French, watching movies, and wandering around in the woods.
Project Alums
Sally AL-Banna supports the Read, inquire, write project as a Graduate Research Assistant. Sally is a master student in the Educational Studies program in the Teaching and Learning concentration at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Prior to attending U-M, Sally earned her B.A in Education with a concentration in English Language Teaching from the University of Aden. Sally served as an Arabic Fulbright Teaching Assistant at the University of Texas in Austin for two years and worked as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for Arabic speakers in Yemen for five years.
Andwatta Barnes is a former elementary school, adult school, and university lecturer currently in her second year as a Ph.D. student in the Teaching and Teaching Education program at the University of Michigan. Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, her professional experiences involved teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Japan and China; teaching English literature and assessment as an English Language Fellow (ELF) in Qatar; pre-service teacher education and ESL at the university level in the United Arab Emirates; and several years as an assessment specialist developing standardized assessments in the areas of ESOL teacher licensure and English language proficiency at Educational Testing Service (ETS). She earned both her BA in elementary education and M.Ed. in TESOL from Grand Valley State University. Her research currently focuses on examining issues surrounding racialized teacher identity across international teaching contexts.
Ryan Hughes supports Read.Inquire.Write. in a variety of capacities including web development and research. He taught elementary school in San Francisco before joining U-M. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Teaching & Teacher Education and holds a M.A.T. in Social Studies Education and a B.A. in History. In his free time, he enjoys road trips and running half marathons.
Martha Epperson Martha Epperson is a former ELL teacher and current Phd student in the Teaching & Teacher Education Program at the University of Michigan. Before arriving in Michigan, Martha served as an English Language Fellow in Chile where she worked with Chilean pre-service and in-service teachers of English. In Chile, she collaborated extensively with the Chilean Ministry of Education on a series of professional development projects for public sector English teachers. Prior to her work in Chile, she worked in US public schools where she supported both ELL teachers and content area teachers in their practice.In her free time, Martha enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and reading.
Anne-Coleman Webre has supported the Read.Inquire.Write. project with curriculum development and research. A current doctoral student at the University of Michigan in Teaching and Teacher Education, she previously taught middle school Social Studies and English as a Second Language in Alexandria, VA and Baltimore, MD. She earned her M.A. from New York University in TESOL/Foreign Language Education and her B.A. from the University of Virginia in Archaeology and German Language & Literature. In her free time, she enjoys knitting sweaters.