Heather Cunningham, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Education
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
ACADEMIC AREAS OF INTEREST
Preparing teachers to support students marginalized by race, poverty, language or ethnicity in the K-12 classroom; examining pre-K-12 education within a framework of global sustainability.
PERSONAL AREAS OF INTEREST
Playing music -- especially Old Time Appalachian music
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Cunningham is an Assistant Professor of Education. Before earning her Ph.D. in Instruction and Learning, Dr. Cunningham was a K-12 public school teacher in Washington DC and downtown Pittsburgh for 13 years. She has also worked in education internationally in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Malawi.
EDUCATION
- Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA), 2015
- M.A., American University (Washington, DC), 1997
- B.A., Allegheny College (Meadville, PA), 1993
CERTIFICATIONS
- Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate Social Studies grades 7-12 -- Level II
- District of Columbia Public Schools Teaching Certificate -- K-12 English as a Second Language & Bilingual Education
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- “Education For Sustainability in Western Pennsylvania: Connecting Social Justice and the Environment” (2021). Cunningham, H. B.; Henderson, K.; Harty, K. Green Schools Catalyst Quarterly 8(2).
- “Restorative Discipline: Classroom Management for Equity and Justice.” (2020). Cunningham, H.B. Green Notes (October).
- “Responding to what we notice: International student teaching as a pathway to cultural responsiveness.” (2019). Cunningham, H.B. Urban Education, vol 54(2).
- "These Kids Are Out of Control" Why We Must Reimagine "Classroom Management" for Equity (2019). Milner, H. R.; Cunningham, H. B.; Kestenberg, E. G.; Delale-O'Connor, L. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
- Confronting Inequity: Are the kids really out of control? (2018). Milner, H. R.; Cunningham, H. B.; Kestenberg, E. G.; Delale-O'Connor, L. Educational Leadership 76(1).
- Supporting Students Below the Poverty Line (2017) Milner, H. R.; Cunningham, H. B.; Murray, I. E.; Alvarez, A. J.
- What Is “Good Teaching” for Elementary English Language Learners? (2016) Cunningham, H. B.; Crawford, P. A.
- Using Service-Learning as a Tool to Develop Intercultural Understanding (2015) Mattix Foster, A. A., Cunningham, H. B. & Wrightsman, K.
- Pathways to Developing Interculturally Aware Teachers (2014) Cunningham, H. B.; Katsafanas, J. D.