Abby Reisman is an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education and PI of the DISCUSS Project. She studies the teaching and learning of history with special attention to how teachers facilitate classroom discussions about the past. Reisman began her career in education as a classroom teacher in a small, progressive high school in New York City.
Timothy Patterson is Associate Professor of Social Studies Education at Temple University and co-PI of the DISCUSS project. He is primarily interested in the identity development of social studies teachers, and how experiences in various contexts may influence that growth. Previously, he was a social studies and language arts teacher in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Avi Kaplan is Professor of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University. His research focuses on people’s motivation, identity, and the role of the environment in these processes. Avi co-developed the Dynamic Systems Model of Role Identity that serves as a theoretical framework in DISCUSS.
Wendy Chan is an associate professor of education in the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the development and extension of statistical methods to improve the generalizability of results from impact studies in education.
Jenni Conrad is Assistant Professor of Social Studies and Teacher Education at Oregon State University, Cascades. As an educational researcher and teacher educator, her work explores the intersections of critical pedagogy, democratic education, history education, and culturally sustaining learning. She seeks to support teachers in implementing justice-oriented and student-centered methods in discourse and inquiry.
Lightning Jay is an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Educational Leadership at Binghamton University, SUNY. His research focuses on social studies education, teacher education, and student-centered classroom discourse. He is interested in supporting teachers and students in having the kinds of challenging classroom conversations necessary to prepare for democratic participation.
Joey Eisman is a visiting assistant professor in the College of Education at Purdue University. His research explores the relationships of emotions, empathy, motivation, and identity in educational contexts using complex dynamic systems approaches.
Andrew del Calvo is Assistant Professor of Urban Teacher Education at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. His work explores justice-oriented social studies teacher education and asset-based approaches to civic literacy teaching and learning, with a particular focus on writing and discussion in secondary social studies classrooms. Previously he taught in New York City public schools.
AJ Schiera is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who began his career as a social studies educator at University City High School in Philadelphia. His research focuses on how justice, practice, and context shape new social studies teachers’ learning, and works to democratize knowledge by including youth as knowers in university-based teacher education.
Alexandria Nazar is an administrator, painter and curator in Philadelphia. She received her MFA Painting and Drawing from Temple University and her BA from UC Davis. She is currently a co-director of Fjord Gallery and has previously exhibited her art and attended art residencies throughout the United States. You can see more of her work at alexandrianazar.com
Lindsey Graham is a PhD candidate in Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on how novice social studies teachers' communities of practice shape their exploration of their teaching dilemmas as they engage students in social studies inquiry. She joined the DISCUSS project in Fall 2022.
Tiferet is a Ph.D candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. Tiferet’s research examines the affective dimension of teaching and learning histories deemed difficult. Previously, they taught middle and high school social studies and served as a districtwide curriculum developer and teacher educator in Maryland’s largest public school system.
MG Hodge is a doctoral student studying Educational Psychology within the College of Education and Human Development at Temple University. She joined the DISCUSS project in Spring 2024, which has expanded her research interests into career development, narrative inquiry, and teacher dilemmas.
Ariana Zetlin is a PhD student in Education, Culture, and Society at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research explores how students develop key dispositions for engaging in dialogue across differences, and how educators can foster these dispositions within classrooms.
Abigail is a political scientist of education exploring the politics of education policy in (un)democratic communities. Her research and teaching draw on mixed methodologies and a decade of experience as a teacher and AmeriCorps volunteer. Abigail will be an assistant professor of Education Policy at Bowdoin College in Fall 2026.
A former English language arts teacher, Laurie currently works as an educational consultant for a network of urban schools where she provides instructional coaching supports and professional development for K-8 teachers. Laurie specializes in bridging the gap between curriculum and classroom application to improve teacher efficacy and student outcomes.