Researchers
REDEE Researchers
Dr. Jim Van Overschelde is Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the REDEE Center, an associate professor of secondary education in Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at Texas State University, and director of evaluation and research for the University’s Office of Educator Preparation. His quantitative and mixed-methods research focuses on improving the equity and effectiveness of educator preparation and education employment environments at the local, state, and national levels. He teaches research methods and statistics. He is also President of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Research on Teacher Preparation Topical Action Group, a member of the Texas State Board of Educator Certification’s Educator Preparation Data Workgroup, and chair of the Data Advocacy Group for the Texas Association of Teacher Educators. He currently serves as an associate editor for the premier Journal of Teacher Education. Dr. Van Overschelde is actively engaged with state education policymakers and researchers, and actively collaborates with senior leaders and researchers from the 20 largest EPPs in Texas
Dr. Minda M. López is Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of the REDEE Center, and professor of Literacy in Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at Texas State University with 25 years of experience in education as a teacher, specialist, teacher educator, and education researcher. Dr. López conducts mixed-methods research on topics of teacher education, equity, ideologies, literacies, and language acquisition in various contexts. She has served on the editorial team for the Bilingual Research Journal and the Journal of Language, Identity and Education; is an editorial board member for Language Arts and has numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. Some of the journals where she has published her scholarship include Teaching and Teacher Education, Teacher Education Quarterly, Equity & Excellence in Education, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Bilingual Research Journal, and the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy. In addition, she has disseminated her research findings across the globe at conferences such as American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education, American Educational Research Association, Literacy Research Association, World Congress of Applied Linguistics, International Literacy Association, and the European Conference on Literacy. Dr. López is the recipient of numerous excellence awards for teaching, service, and scholarship. She is bilingual, fluent in English and Spanish.
Dr. Amy Wiseman
Dr. Amy Wiseman is senior research analyst for the REDEE Center and she conducts large-scale data preparation and analyses using SQL, SPSS, and Stata programming languages. She has worked with the state’s P-20W data warehouse for 12 years and the REDEE Center’s database for the last 3 years. Dr. Wiseman holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology from Harvard University.
Dr. Paul Mencke
Dr. Paul Mencke is a Senior Lecturer and researcher in Curriculum & Instruction at Texas State University. His research interests include using qualitative methods to explore topics such as Critical Pedagogy and Free School Theory. Dr. Mencke holds a PhD in Cultural Studies and Social Thought in Education from Washington State University.
Dr. Jane Saunders
Dr. Jane Saunders is a professor of English in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at Texas State University. Her qualitative research focuses on preparing teachers of English.
Dr. Sarah Guthery
Sarah Guthery is an Associate Professor at the University of Oklahoma and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Education Finance; she was formerly at Texas A&M University- Commerce. She has worked in numerous roles in educator certification, including the training and licensing of new teachers, principals and superintendents. She primarily investigates the production, retention and promotion of educators, and the influence of educational policy on the educator labor market. She has served on state advisory boards in Texas for educator preparation data and educator preparation program assessment. She has presented her work nationally and internationally and her research and expertise have been highlighted by NPR, Education Week, Politico and Principal Magazine.