Erin Whitney, EdD

Education

Ed.D., Reading/Writing/Literacy, University of Pennsylvania 2016

M.P.A., School Administration and Supervision, Baruch College, City University of New York 2006

M.S., Special Education, College of Saint Rose 1995

B.A., English and Photography, State University of New York at Buffalo 1992

Areas of Expertise

• Special education
• Disability studies
• Literacy
• Teacher education
• Access and equity
• Supporting LGBTQ+ students
• Qualitative research

Biography

Dr. Erin Whitney is a teacher educator with significant professional experience working with K-12 students in rural and urban settings, both in the classroom and as a school leader and coach. As a special education teacher, she focused on literacy, co-teaching, collaboration, and inclusion. At Chico State, she coordinates and teaches in the Concurrent Pathway Program which prepares candidates to teach both general and special education.  Rooted in a commitment to antiracism and social justice in education, Dr. Whitney’s research focuses on inclusive literacy practices for students with disabilities, culturally and linguistically sustaining pedagogies, and support for LGBTQ+ students in K-12 schools and universities.  She has presented alongside colleagues at national conferences including the American Educational Research Association, the Council for Exceptional Children, and the Ethnography in Education Research Forum.

Affiliations

• American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
• Literacy Research Association (LRA)
• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
• Society for Disability Studies (SDS)
• California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE)

Grants & Contracts Awarded

Center for Transformational Educator Preparation Programs (CTEPP),          California State University, Co-Primary Investigator, Chico State, 2022-2024.

Internal Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity (RSCA) Grant, Experiences of Preservice Teachers with Disabilities, Chico State Enterprises, 2021-2022.

Student Learning Fees, California State University, Chico, Mobile Classroom for School of Education, Co-Awardee with Slemrod (PI), Mouanoutoua, Gunderson, Blagrave and Koch, 2020.

Publications & Presentations

Publications

Whitney, E.H. (pending publication). Fostering joy in reading: Implementing culturally and historically responsive book clubs with Black girls with disabilities. Multiple Voices: Disability, Race and Language Intersections in Special Education.

Whitney, E.H. (2021). Inviting discomfort in workshops on supporting LGBTQIA+ students with educators in rural schools. Journal of Homosexuality.              https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wjhm20

Whitney, E.H. (2018). Reenvisioning writing pedagogy and learning disabilities through a Black girls’ literacies framework. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 62(6), 643-651. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.934

Stornaiuolo, A. & Whitney, E.H. (2018). Writing as worldmaking. Language Arts, 94(4), 205-217. https://library.ncte.org/journals/la/issues/v95-4.

Presentations

Whitney, E.H., Slemrod, T., Schreder, K. (2022, April). Experiences of credential candidates with disabilities on the path to becoming teachers. Roundtable presentation at the American Educational Research Forum annual meeting, San Diego, CA.

Whitney, E.H., Lemmi, C., Stevens, E. (2020, October). Infusing culturally sustaining pedagogies into foundational literacy courses for preservice teachers. Video presentation at Annual Conference of the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE).

Whitney, E.H., Cox, J., Wenzel, C. Hambley, M., Nilsson, J. (2020, April). Bringing trans* affirming education to a rural region: Community, university, and teacher activists in collaboration. Roundtable presentation at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting, San Francisco, CA. Accepted but not presented due to COVID cancellation.

Whitney, E.H., Slemrod, T., Koch, A., Schreder, K. (2020, February). Becoming a teacher: Narratives of credential candidates with disabilities. Poster presentation at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual meeting, Portland, OR.

Whitney, E.H., Cox, J., Wenzel, C. Hambley, M., Nilsson, J. (2019, February). Bringing trans* inclusive education to a small school district: Community, university, and parent/teacher activists in collaboration. Paper presentation at Ethnography in Education Research Forum, Philadelphia, PA.

Whitney, E.H. (2019, February). Reframing disability through a social model in teacher education. Paper presentation in panel session: Moving from Theory to Practice and Back Again: Navigating New Roles as Teacher Educators with Bethany Silva and Karin Lange at Ethnography in Education Research Forum, Philadelphia, PA.

Slemrod, T. & Whitney, E.H. (2019, January). Building and incorporating assistive technology in education. Poster Session at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual meeting, Indianapolis, IN.

Whitney, E.H. (2018, November). Pre-service teachers’ emerging understandings of inclusive education and the relationships between literacy, dis/ability and technology. Roundtable presentation at the Literacy Research Association annual meeting, Indian Wells, CA.

Whitney, E.H. (2018, February). Multimodal writing: Black girls with learning disabilities enacting agency and identity. Paper session at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) annual meeting, Tampa, FL.

Whitney, E.H. (2017, April). Collaborative composition and the writing process: Analysis of the construction of a dance. Paper presentation in symposium: Disrupting Deficit Ideologies: The Role of Context and Content to Reposition Literacy Learners as Competent with Maryl Randel and Michiko Hikida at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) annual meeting, San Antonio, TX.