The University of Minnesota school psychology program welcomes Dr. Robin Codding to its prestigious team of professors and researchers.

Dr. Codding received her Ph.D. from Syracuse University and completed her pre- and post-doctoral fellowship at the May Institute where she served as a behavioral and educational consultant for students with various disabilities and brain injuries. In 2010, Dr. Codding was chosen as the co-recipient of APA Division 16’s Lightner Witmer Early Career Scholar Award. We sat down with Dr. Codding and asked her a few questions about what brought her to school psychology and the University of Minnesota.

Why did you choose the field of school psychology? “I knew I wanted to pursue a doctorate in psychology since I was in high school,” she says. “I enjoy working with children. And both my parents were teachers, so I grew up surrounded by academia.” She goes on, “When I was accepted to Syracuse University, it seemed like the right fit.”

What brought you to the University of Minnesota? “Initially, my husband and I intended to remain on the east coast, but I also knew I wanted to work in a research-oriented program,” she says. Dr. Codding chose the University of Minnesota because of its strong school psychology program and ties to her areas of interest, academic intervention and assessment. Her next step: “I want to learn more about how school districts in and around the Twin Cities apply Multi-Tiered Systems of Service delivery to prevent learning difficulties and provide intervention programming for students at-risk for learning difficulties. Although I am interested in how schools are working to promote reading and writing development, I am particularly interested in how schools are addressing mathematics learning needs.”

What is the main focus of your research? According to Dr. Codding, her research is mainly focused on academic, school-based interventions that are efficient, effective, feasible, and usable. This merges with assessment research and the link between assessment and intervention that assists with the exploration of “what works for whom under what conditions.” She’s also interested in the examining the level and types of training and support that can be provided to school professionals and volunteers  in order to facilitate successful intervention implementation and result in student success. 

What research project are you working on now? Over the past few years, Dr. Codding has been focused on the creation of a mathematics intervention program, aligned with the Common Core and empirical research, that addresses whole number knowledge and is designed to be delivered by a variety of school professionals and volunteers. “One goal of this program is to serve as an accessible resource to schools that is also feasible to implement within typical school time structures.”  She says, “I’m excited that we have been able to conduct field testing that has informed our intervention procedures. Next, we’ll be identifying pilot sites for the program.”