Dr. Ted Christ in the Department of Educational Psychology’s school psychology program and Dr. Kristen McMaster in the special education program have been promoted by the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents to professor of educational psychology, effective fall 2015.

The two professors co-direct the Research Institute for Problem Solving in addition to numerous personal research projects.

Dr. Christ’s primary areas of research include: assessment and evaluation systems, tools and techniques that inform practice in schools – especially related to problem solving and multi-tiered systems of support (ie; response to intervention) – and innovation as it applies to cloud-based assessments and corresponding interventions. Dr. Christ is the director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) and the Formative Assessment System for Teachers Lab (FAST Lab).

Dr. McMaster’s research interests  involve creating conditions for successful response to intervention of academically diverse learners, including students at-risk, students with disabilities, and students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Her specific focus is on (1) promoting teachers’ use of data-based decision-making and evidence-based instruction and (2) developing individualized interventions for students for whom generally effective instruction is not sufficient. Dr. McMaster is program coordinator for the special education program in the Department of Educational Psychology and director of the Reading Comprehension Lab and Data-based Instruction in Early Writing: Tools, Learning, and Collaborative Support.

The Department of Educational Psychology would like to congratulate Dr. Christ and Dr. McMaster on this tremendous accomplishment!