Kelly Harper

Dr. Kelly A. Harper’s education career launched in Noumi Island, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, as a co-teacher of English as a second language with junior high school Japanese students in the Japanese Exchange and Teaching program. Upon returning to the United States, she earned her Master’s degree in Educational Technology from the University of Hartford, and proceeded to teach grades 5-7 in the Wellesley Public Schools in Massachusetts. While a practitioner, Dr. Harper earned her doctoral degree from Boston College culminating with a dissertation teacher-research study that critically examined social justice issues in children’s literature. All of these experiences have shaped the way she passionately influences the next generation of K-6 educators.

Dr. Harper currently enjoys working with teacher candidates guiding them through their own action research projects, evidence-based practices across the math, science and literacy domains and mentoring teacher candidates in field placements. Dr. Harper’s research interests include assistive technologies, practitioner inquiry, teacher education, and inclusive practices. One of her favorite quotes by Nelson Mandela is, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Awards

• The JUSTICE Project (Justice for Underserved Students: Teacher Preparation in Inclusive Classroom Environments) Special Education Preservice Program Improvement Grants, United States Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, 10/1/2011-9/30/2016 with total funding of $1,484,479
• Dean’s Research Award, Canisius University, “Advancing KidSkills Through Hearty Apptivities “ May 2011
• Deans Research Award, Canisius University, KidSkills: Right From the Start, March 2010
• Target grant to fund the Kidskills Project at Armor Elementary. $2,000.00 Awarded June, 2010
• Hamburg Schools Partnership Grant to fund Kidskills, $500 awarded for 2009-2010 school year
• Dean’s Research Award, Canisius University, Project: “Structuring Tutoring Experiences for Meaningful Math in Middle School” January 2009
• Summer Dissertation Fellowship Recipient (2004), Boston College
• Teacher as Researcher Grant Recipient (2003): American Educational Research Association (AERA) Teacher as Researcher SIG.

Publications

Kurtzworth-Keen, K. & Harper, K. (in press). Utilizing Collaborative Teacher Inquiry to Enhance Daily Teaching Practices in K-12 Classrooms. International Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development.

Harper, K. Kurtzworth-Keen, K., & Marable, M. (2016). Assistive technology for students with learning disabilities: A glimpse of the livescribe pen and its impact on homework completion. Education and Information Technologies. doi.10. 1007/s10639-016-9550.0

Marable, M., Kurtzworth-Keen, K., Harper, K., & Dutt-Doner, K. (Winter 2015). Teacher Inquiry: A Foundation for Mentoring Teachers During Induction and Throughout Their Career. The Journal of Teaching Effectiveness and Student Achievement Volume 2(1), 81-91.

McCarthy, D., Burns, B., Henry, D., & Harper, K. (2014). Getting Ready for edTPA Task 4: Assessing Students’ Mathematics Learning. Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning.

Hamm, E. & Harper, K. (2013) The Role of RtI in a Kindergarten Enrichment Program, Reading and Writing Quarterly.

Harper, K. (2009). Can We Read a Happy Book Next?: Using Children's Literature to Move Beyond our White Space. In M. Cochran-Smith & S. Lytle (Eds), Inquiry as Stance: Practitioner Research in the Next Generation. Teachers College Press: New York.