Research team
Panayiota Kendeou
Panayiota Kendeou is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s psychological foundations of education program at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Kendeou investigates the development of higher-order language and cognitive skills that support reading comprehension. She also conducts lab-based studies investigating how people learn new knowledge and revise pre-existing knowledge during their reading experiences.
Kristen McMaster
Kristen McMaster is a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s special education program at the University of Minnesota. Dr. McMaster collaborates with colleagues in cognitive psychology and school psychology to develop theory-based assessments and interventions to improve the reading comprehension and early writing skills of children identified as at risk or with disabilities. She also develops systems and supports to promote teachers’ use of data-based decisionmaking and evidence-based instruction.
Theodore J. Christ
Theodore J. Christ is the director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) and a professor in the Department of Educational Psychology’s school psychology program. Dr. Christ develops innovative, cloud-based, adaptive reading assessments and corresponding interventions. He also leads the Formative Assessment System for Teachers Lab (FAST Lab), which is dedicated to research, innovation, and translation.
Mary Jane White
Dr. Mary Jane White is a research associate and manages multiple federally-funded grants with Dr. Theodore J. Christ. Her work includes development, and dissemination of K-12 assessments with particular expertise in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota with an emphasis in reading comprehension.
Project coordinator
Susan Slater
Susan Slater serves as the Project Coordinator under Dr. Pani Kendeou and Dr. Kristen McMaster to manage multiple federally-funded grants. Her previous experience includes higher education admissions/student services and most recently work on a Federally funded math intervention with middle school students. Her research interests include development and dissemination of K-12 interventions.
Graduate research assistants
Reese Butterfuss
Reese investigates learning from texts and knowledge revision. The focus of his work is on understanding individual differences in executive functions and their influence on the underlying processes and mechanisms of learning from texts that are designed to facilitate knowledge revision.
Britta Bresina
Britta Bresina is a graduate student in the Department of Educational Psychology’s special education program. Her early professional career was spent as a junior high school special education teacher for students with learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. In addition to teaching, Britta worked as an instructional design strategist. She is interested in intensive interventions for reading disabilities, learning and cognition, special education policy, and teachers’ use of data-based decision making.
Daheen Choi
Daheen Choi is a PhD graduate student in the psychological foundations program. Daheen is interested in investigating children’s cognitive development and the usage of cognitive strategies when children memorize and understand the words in the context. She also works on finding effective interventions for children to reduce their cognitive load during reading comprehension.
Jasmine Kim
Jasmine Kim, PhD graduate student, psychological foundations: learning and cognition/educational technologies
Jasmine is interested in investigating higher order cognitive processes involved in deriving meaning from texts and how these processes can inform current theoretical models of reading comprehension
Rina Miyata Harsch
MA graduate student, psychological foundations: learning and cognition/educational technologies.
Ellen Orcutt
Ellen is a research assistant with interests in educational, cognitive, and developmental psychology. She has had both work and volunteer experience in K-12 schools. Her research interests include knowledge revision and reading comprehension ability.
Bess Wilke
Bess is a graduate student in the Department of Educational Psychology’s special education program. With a background in teaching special education, Bess is interested in reading comprehension in early learners with an emphasis on cognitive processes and intervention.