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From reimagining special education and multilingual learning to examining school leadership, early childhood education, and social justice, School of Education & Human Development faculty, faculty emerita, and alumni continue to expand knowledge that shapes learning worldwide.

This collection of books and book chapters published during the last year reflects the breadth of scholarship across SEHD and the many ways members of our community contribute to their fields. Their work explores some of the most pressing issues facing education today, including belonging, educator retention, school well-being, culturally responsive practice, and the experiences of diverse learners and communities.*

Chaya Abrams, PhD, associate professor in the Counseling program, contributed the chapter "Ancestral Bonding and Combatting Modern Antisemitism" to Antisemitism and Jew-Hatred: Psychological Perspectives (Ancis, 2026).

SEHD alumnus James Bailey (PhD '00), who earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership and Innovation from CU Denver, recently published A Blueprint for Teacher Retention: Leading Schools That Teachers Don't Want to Leave (Routledge, 2026). The book explores leadership strategies that help schools recruit, support, and retain talented educators, including how school leaders can develop their own social-emotional skills.

Robin Brandehoff, (PhD ‘20), assistant professor of Educational Foundations, authored the invited chapter "Kanaka 'Ōiwi Methodologies to Honor Moʻōlelo, Communities, Aloha 'Āina, and Make It Hānai" in Light a Fire and Watch It Burn: Disruptive Qualitative Methods in Education Research (Meyers Education Press, 2025). Brandehoff also co-authored "Critical Mentoring in the Hyphen: Reciprocal Connections Through a Shared Asian American Identity" in Thriving in Higher Education: Uncovering Institutional Counter-Stories Through Abolitionist Feminist Mentoring (Information Age Publishing, 2026) with her mentees Daranee Taychachaiwongse Teng and Amie Ha (both are doctoral candidates in SEHD) and "Crushing the Boxes You Thought Would Cage Us: Five Outliers on COVID, Zoom, and Speaking Out Against Social and Racial Injustices" in Leading in the Midst of It All (Information Age Publishing, 2025) with SEHD alumni Jessica Luna Garcia (EdD ‘23), Valerie Richmond (EdD ‘24), and Gabriel Castaño (EdD ‘22) and current doctoral student Melinda Rossi.

Nancy L. Commins, PhD, professor emerita, co-authored Humanizing Pedagogies with Multilingual Learners: Transforming Teaching in the Content Areas (Routledge, 2025) with former SEHD faculty member Kara M. Viesca, PhD. Published by Eye On Education, an imprint of Routledge, the book offers educators practical approaches for creating affirming and effective learning environments for multilingual learners.

SEHD alumnus Philippe Ernewein (MA '03) recently translated The Day That Icarus Crashed Into Our Garden (Spuyten Duyvil, 2026), a collection of poetry by acclaimed Flemish poet Willem M. Roggeman. The volume brings Roggeman's work to English-language readers and reflects Ernewein's ongoing contributions as a translator, educator, and advocate for the literary arts.

Amy L. Ferrell, PhD, associate professor of Special Education, co-edited the Handbook of Critical Special Education (Routledge, 2026) with Eric Claravall, PhD. In addition to writing the book's preface, Ferrell authored the chapter "From Inclusion to Community: A Paradigm of Wholeness for Special Education" and co-authored the chapter "An Introduction to Critical Special Education," both published in the book. She also co-authored "Transcending Demography: Integrating Mind, Culture, and Equity in LD Research" with Alfredo J. Artiles, PhD, in the third edition of the Handbook of Learning Disabilities (Guilford Press, 2026) and "Honoring Intersectionality Inclusive of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Special Education" in Enduring Issues in Special Education: Personal Perspectives (2nd ed., Routledge, 2026). (2nd ed., Routledge, 2026).

Lisa K. Forbes, PhD, associate clinical professor in the Counseling program, published Play and the Heart’s Refusal to Harden (Play Story Press, 2026), an invitation to reclaim play as an act of resistance to the cultural pressures that disconnect us from ourselves and one another, and as a pathway toward greater authenticity, connection, aliveness, and social change. (Play Story Press, 2026), a book exploring the role of play, imagination, and authentic connection in personal and professional growth.

Kristie Kauerz, EdD, research professor and executive director of the National P-3 Center, led the authorship of "Critical Review of Research and Policy on Transitions to School From 2000 to 2024 in the United States of America" in Transitions to School in the 21st Century: Insights From National and International Research, Policy, and Practice (Springer, 2026). The chapter was co-authored by Kyle DeMeo Cook, PhD and SEHD alumni Stephanie Olmore (EdD '23) and Sierra Dinges (EdD '25).

Nancy L. Leech, PhD, professor in the Research and Evaulation Methods program, co-authored IBM SPSS for Intermediate Statistics: Use and Interpretation (6th ed., Routledge, 2025) and IBM SPSS for Introductory Statistics: Use and Interpretation (7th ed., Routledge, 2026), continuing a longstanding contribution to research and statistics education.

Julia Mahfouz, PhD, associate professor in the Leadership for Educational Organizations program and director of the Prosocial Leader Lab, co-edited the Emerald Handbook of Wellbeing in Schools: School Leadership and Organizational Perspectives (Emerald Publishing, 2026). She also co-authored "Minority Principals Leading Schools in Rural Lebanon Amid War and Security Crises" in Minority School Leadership During Crises: Global and Cross-Continental Perspectives (Routledge, 2026) and "The Path to a Knowledge-Based Economy Through Reforming Public K-12 Education: Educational Policies and Educator Professional Development in Saudi Arabia" in Educational Policy, Reforms and Change in the Middle East and North Africa/or in the Global South (Routledge, 2025).

Lori Ryan, PhD, teaching professor in the Early Childhood Education program, edited Learning with the Pedagogy of Reggio Emilia: Innovative Approaches to Early Childhood and Teacher Education (Teachers College Press, 2026), a volume that examines contemporary applications of the influential educational philosophy. Chapters are co-authored by many graduates of our unique school-university partnership with Boulder Journey School.

Rachel Stein, PhD, assistant professor in the School Psychology program, co-authored the chapter "Early Childhood Assessment" in Culturally-Informed Approaches to Behavioral and Emotional Assessment of Youth (Guilford Publications, 2026), which explores assessment practices that account for the cultural and developmental contexts of young children. (Guilford Publications, 2026), which explores assessment practices that account for the cultural and developmental contexts of young children.

Together, these publications reflect the depth, diversity, and impact of the SEHD scholarly community.  Members continue to advance knowledge and shape conversations in education and human development across Colorado, the nation, and beyond.

*The publications featured here represent information voluntarily shared with SEHD and are not intended to be a comprehensive record of all scholarly works produced by the community.