Stephen Vassallo, PhD

Associate Professor

In his teaching and scholarship, Dr. Vassallo works to merge perspectives to critically explore issues related to teaching and learning, especially in the context of academic self-regulation. He draws from sociology, philosophy and educational psychology to examine some of the ethical, conceptual and pedagogical complexities associated with teaching self-regulated learning. Using these perspectives, he explores the implicit and explicit roles that choice, control, autonomy and freedom play in efforts to teach and learn self-regulation.

This semester, Stephen is teaching EDU 420-Psychology of Education. His books, Neoliberal Selfhood (2020), Critical Educational Psychology (2017), and Self-Regulated Learning: An Application of Critical Educational Psychology (2013), can be purchased on Amazon.

Jisun Jeong, PhD

Professorial Lecturer

Jisun is a researcher, educator, and practitioner with expertise in low-income and crisis-affected contexts. She is committed to interdisciplinary and policy-relevant research that contributes to socially just, equitable and peaceful societies through quality and relevant education. Her research and policy work primarily focus on education in emergencies and refugee education, social and emotional learning, girls’ education, and educational technology in the Global South. She is married with two young daughters and enjoys spending her free time engaging in quality time with her family and exploring new sites with her daughters. She enjoys scuba diving (although it has been years since she has done it). She has traveled to, worked, and lived in more than 30 countries.

This semester, Dr. Jeong teaches EDU-285: Education for International Development and EDU-596: Advanced Methods for International Education (Selected Topics: Non-Recurring). Read more about her amazing work here or view her faculty profile here.

Ocheze Joseph, EdD

Director of Undergraduate Programs & Senior Professorial Lecturer

One of Dr. Ocheze Joseph's favorite quotes is by Mahatma Gandhi: "Be the change you wish to see in the world." She wants students to continue to be inspired in carrying forward their journeys to be antiracist and compassionate educators. A proud DC native, Ocheze has served in several K-12 roles, including a reading specialist, an assistant principal, and a Title I principal. Her areas of specialization are pre-service teacher development and mentoring, literacy and reading education, culturally relevant pedagogy, and family and community engagement. Her scholarly work focuses on the preparedness of pre-service teachers to teach literacy.

This semester, she teaches EDU-499 Student Teaching Seminar in Professional Practice and EDU 321: Field Experience in Education Observation and Analysis.

Phelton Cortez Moss, PhD

Senior Professorial Lecturer

Dr. Moss is a Senior Policy Adviser to Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24) and he serves as chair of the Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee. He led the filing of the historic American Teacher Act, a bill to establish a federal grant program to incentivize states to raise teacher salaries. He served as a policy fellow for Education Leaders of Color and provided strategic and policy advice across a range of national education issues for members, including early childhood, K-12, postsecondary, higher education, career, and technical education, historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), teacher diversity, and workforce development. He also orchestrated the design and launch of the nation’s first state-run teacher residency program with a $4.5M Kellogg Foundation grant to address the state’s teacher shortage and increase the diversity of the educator workforce in Mississippi. He began his career in education as a high school English teacher in Greenwood, Mississippi, where he was Teacher of the Year for two consecutive years, and a corps member of Teach for America.

This semester, Dr. Moss is teaching EDU-634: Education and Public Policy.

Sherita Flake, PhD

Senior Professorial Lecturer & Program Director

Dr. Flake is a Senior Professorial Lecturer and the City Teaching Alliance Masters' in Teaching (MAT) Program Director at SOE. A distinguished leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, she has a solid academic background and experience which spans both K-12 education and higher education. She has dedicated her career to promoting excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership by addressing the crucial need for diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and justice (DEIAJ) in STEM education and educator preparation programs. She actively shapes education policies and standards, serving on Praxis Standards Setting Committees with Educational Testing Service to ensure high-quality teaching licensure standards. She has also worked as a Tennessee Department of Education consultant, showcasing her commitment to systemic educational advancement. Sherita won the Governor's Award of Excellence for her exceptional educational contributions, earned the EPIC Gold status and the Multi-Year Standing Ovation Honoree title from DC Public Schools. While working at Johns Hopkins University she received the Bryan K. Ingram Award recognizing her leadership qualities and lasting impact on the field of education. Additionally, she authored the children's book "STEM Includes Me," which seeks to foster a love for STEM disciplines among young readers.

Emily Peterson, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Peterson, who joined SOE's faculty in 2017, does research applying educational psychology and cognitive neuroscience methods to investigate cognitive and motivational factors that support (or hinder) student learning in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). Her current research examines questions such as why spatial reasoning skills predict science achievement and how teachers support student curiosity. She was recently awarded the prestigious NSF CAREER grant to study the impact of curiosity on visual processing. She founded AU's Peterson Laboratory, which investigates the thinking and reasoning skills that impact learning science and mathematics and examines the role of motivations, such as interest and curiosity. At the heart of the lab's work is a desire to reduce disparities among individuals typically under-represented in STEM fields by conducting research that contributes to a deeper understanding of how students engage with science and mathematics.

Dr. Peterson often teaches EDU-440, Psychology of Education. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Psychology Department and its Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience doctorate program.

Carolyn Parker, PhD

Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer & Program Director

Dr. Parker is a Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer and the Director of Graduate Teacher Education, overseeing the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. As a STEM specialist she taught science, chemistry, and biology at high schools in New York and Miami. Her current research interests focus on issues of equity and access in STEM education and teacher education. She is the principal investigator of a National Science Foundation 'Improving Undergraduate STEM Education' award and an integral contributor to AU's Enhanced Teaching and Learning Through Problem-Based Pedagogy, which builds on the current evidence base of interdisciplinary, problem-based learning with undergraduate, non-science majors, including undergraduate elementary teacher candidates. Her work appears in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, and Cultural Studies in Science Education. 

Fun fact: she began her career in science education as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala, where she taught environmental education and helped develop interpretive trails in the Biotopo Chocón Machacas.

See All SOE Faculty