Texas State University
Dr. Alyson A. Collins is an Associate Professor of Special Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Texas State University (TXST). Prior to earning her doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University, Dr. Collins taught for nine years in Texas public schools. Her program of research focuses on exploring writing instruction for students with disabilities, effective interventions for these students, and professional development models that support teacher implementation of evidence-based practices. Dr. Collins has served as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI on four Institute of Education Sciences (IES) grants aiming to improve writing instruction for students with disabilities. In addition, she leads two Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) preparation grants at TXST.
Texas State university
Stephen Ciullo is an Associate Professor of Special Education. His research focuses on two topics. First, he studies the extent to which classroom writing instruction provided to students with disabilities aligns with research evidence, and how observed instruction relates to students’ writing performance. Second, Stephen is interested in interventions that enhance teachers’ effectiveness in the area of writing and content-area knowledge.
Stephen has received three research grants from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). He is Primary Investigator (PI) on an IES-funded project (R324A180137) that explores the extent to which effective writing instructional practices are used by special educators and general educators who teach writing to students with disabilities. This project also examines differences between the writing instruction of special educators and general educators. Stephen serves as Co-PI on a second IES-funded grant (R324A190028) with Dr. Linda Mason (PI). This project explores relationships between middle school social studies and science teachers’ use of evidence-based writing practices, teachers’ beliefs about adapting instruction for students with disabilities, and students’ writing outcomes. Additionally, Stephen is Co-PI on a recently funded IES grant (PI Alyson Collins, Texas State University). This project (R305A200363) is a meta-analysis of writing interventions for students in Grades K-5.
Stephen teaches undergraduate as well as graduate-level special education courses. His courses focus on Learning Disabilities, and instructional practices that improve reading and writing outcomes for students who receive special education services.
Before joining Texas State University, Stephen earned his doctorate in Special Education from the University of Texas at Austin. He was also a Special Education teacher in New York for six years.