The Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Education Sciences at the University of Virginia Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) trained six postdoctoral fellows via two research training rotations. The primary training rotation involved funded projects within CASTL. Among these projects were five randomized evaluation trials, quasi-experimental studies on large scale databases of state and national significance, planned comparison evaluations, natural history studies, and the Teachers for a New Era research program. These projects focused on early childhood/elementary classroom quality and intervention effects, teacher workforce quality and effects, and schooling experiences in relation to other developmental influences. The secondary rotation connected fellows with affiliated faculty from across the University, including the Departments of Psychology, Economics, and Sociology, to draw interdisciplinary expertise into education sciences.

Related IES Projects: Interdisciplinary Postdoctoral Research Training Program in Education Sciences (R305B100009), University of Virginia Post-Doctoral Interdisciplinary Training Program in Education Science (R305B130013), University of Virginia Education Science (VEST) Interdisciplinary Post-Doctoral Training Program (R305B170002), University of Virginia Education Science Training Program in English Language Learning (EL-VEST) (R305B210008)

Postdoctoral Fellows

Richards, Angela
Cameron, Claire
Luckner, Amy
Myers, Sonya
Pogodzinski, Ben (ORCID)
Vitiello, Virginia (ORCID)

As of 2020, Dr. Richards was a data analyst at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Cameron was an associate professor in the Department of Learning and Instruction at the University at Buffalo-SUNY, Dr. Luckner was a visiting professor at Northern Illinois University, Dr. Myers was a research and data manager for a Mississippi school district, Dr. Pogodzinski was an associate professor of educational leadership & policy studies and research faculty for the Detroit Education Research Partnership in the College of Education at Wayne State University, and Dr. Vitiello was a research assistant professor at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) at the University of Virginia.

Products and Publications

Book chapter

Cameron, C.E. (2012). A Transitional Model of Effective Teaching and Learning in the Early Childhood Classroom. In R.C. Pianta, W.S. Barnett, L.M. Justice, and S.M. Sheridan (Eds.), Handbook of Early Childhood Education (pp. 278–296). New York: Guilford Press.

Journal article, monograph, or newsletter

Burrage, M.S., Ponitz, C.C., McCready, E.A., Shah, P., Sims, B.C., Jewkes, A.M., and Morrison, F.J. (2008). Age- and Schooling-telated Effects on Executive Functions in Young Children: A Natural Experiment. Child Neuropsychology, 14(6), 510–524.

Cameron, C.E., Connor, C.M., Morrison, F.J., and Jewkes, A.M. (2008). Effects Of Classroom Organization on Letter-Word Reading in First Grade. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 173–192.

Cameron, C.E. , McClelland, M.M., Jewkes, AM., Connor, C.M., Farris, C.L. and Morrison, F. J. (2008). Touch Your Toes! Developing a Direct Measure of Behavioral Regulation in Early Childhood. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23(2): 141–158.

Curby, T.W., Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., and Ponitz, C.C. (2009). Teacher-Child Interactions and Children's Achievement Trajectories Across Kindergarten and First Grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(4): 912–925.

Merritt, E.G., Wanless, S.B., Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., Cameron, C., and Peugh, J.L. (2012). The Contributions of Teachers' Emotional Support to Children's Social Behaviors and Self-Regulatory Skills in First Grade. School Psychology Review, 41(2): 141–159.

Morris, A.S., Silk, J.S., Steinberg, L., Myers, S.S. and, Robinson, L.R. (2007). The Role of the Family Context in the Development of Emotion Regulation. Social Development, 16 (2), 361–388.

Myers, S.S. and Pianta, R.C. (2008). Developmental Commentary: Individual and Contextual Influences on Student-Teacher Relationships and Children's Early Problem Behaviors. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(3): 600–608.

Ponitz, C.C. and Rimm-Kaufman, S.E. (2011). Contexts of Reading Instruction: Implications for Literacy Skills and Kindergarteners' Behavioral Engagement. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(2): 157–168.

Ponitz, C.C., Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., Brock, L.L., and Nathanson, L. (2009). Early Adjustment, Gender Differences, and Classroom Organizational Climate in First Grade. Elementary School Journal, 110(2): 142–162.

Ponitz, C.C., Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., Grimm, K.J., and Curby, T.W. (2009). Kindergarten Classroom Quality, Behavioral Engagement, and Reading Achievement. School Psychology Review, 38(1): 102–120.

Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., and Ponitz, C.C. (2009). Introduction to the Special Issue on Data-Based Investigations of the Quality of Preschool and Early Child Care Environments. Early Education and Development, 20(2): 201–210.

Rimm-Kaufman, S.E., Larsen, R.A., Curby, T.W., Baroody, A.E., Merritt, E., Abry, T.S., Ko, M., Thomas, J., and DeCoster, J. (2014). Efficacy of the Responsive Classroom Approach: Results From a 3–Year, Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial. American Education Research Journal, 51(3): 567–603.

Vitiello, V.E., Booren, L.M., Downer, J.T., and Williford, A.P. (2012). Variation in Children's Classroom Engagement Throughout a day in Preschool: Relations to Classroom and Child Factors. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 27(2): 210–220.