Our Staff

Dr. Meier is the Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Technology and School Change and a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is also Co-Chair of the University of the State of New York Council on Technology Policy and Practice, a panel appointed by the Regents to examine technology use in public schools, libraries, museums and other similar state agencies. She began her career as a teacher in a federal experimental school program in Minnesota with an interest in school reform and equity, and soon pursued school change issues more broadly in a succession of regional and national responsibilities. Over the past dozen years, in collaboration with the Center’s professional developers, she has shaped the Center’s successful approach for integrating technology, using a design process focused on essential questions. Dr. Meier also directs the Center’s numerous evaluation and research grants related to technology integration. She holds an Ed.D. in Leadership and Organization from Teachers College, Columbia University, an M.A. in Educational Administration from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. in English Education from the University of Iowa.

Caron is the Director of Research and Evaluation at the Center. She oversees several of the Center’s long-term projects, including funded initiatives from the National Science Foundation to study CTSC's Innovating Instruction approach. Caron often engages in project development through grant writing and consultations with educational agencies. She also manages the operations of the Center. Caron has prior experience as an elementary teacher and instructional specialist in both public and private school settings, and has worked at the Center since early 2005, as a facilitator and researcher. Caron's personal research focuses on issues of leadership surrounding innovation in schools. Caron holds an Ed.M. in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University and a B.S. in Computer Science from Boston College.

Karen Kirsch Page is the Senior Associate Director of Professional Development at the Center. Beyond working as a K-8 technology and STEM electives teacher in San Francisco, Karen has provided instructional support for K-12 teachers both in the U.S. and Africa where she founded a free annual education technology conference for underserved teachers now going into its eighth year. A filmmaker and music engineer/producer interested in creative digital and technical arts, Karen is passionate about helping schools and organizations around the world create a culture receptive to implementing technology for creative teaching and learning. She has worked with schools to design and launch coding, robotics, makerspace and visual design programs. With a B.A. in Broadcast Engineering from San Francisco State University and an M.A. in Instructional Technology and Media at Teachers College, Columbia University, Karen is now pursuing her doctorate at TC in Adult Learning and Leadership. Her research interests are at the intersection of equitable access to high quality learning, professional development, and the meaningful integration of technology in education.

Dr. Hakim is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Technology and School Change. In addition to supporting research and evaluation projects at the Center, she also provides professional development to K-12 teachers in designing and implementing STEM projects in their classrooms. She also supervises student teachers at Teachers College, Columbia University who are getting certified to become Educational Technology Specialists in New York State.  Dr. Hakim has experience teaching 9th-grade mathematics in New York City schools and working with K-12 New York City public school teachers in integrating technology projects into their classrooms. She graduated with her Ed.D. in Instructional Technology and Media from Teachers College, Columbia University where her dissertation focused on how prepared preservice secondary mathematics teachers are to integrate technology into the classroom. She received her M.A. in Secondary Mathematics Education from New York University. Her other interests lie in the use of computer manipulatives, apps, and digital tools for teaching and learning mathematics. Dr. Hakim is also interested in the role that educational technology specialists play in schools. 

Sarah Sreedhar is the Senior Administrative Associate at the Center for Technology and School Change. Sarah is involved with managing the Center’s budget and finances.  She provides technical and logistical support for multiple projects, meetings, conferences, and workshops.   Before coming to CTSC Sarah worked with various STEM and DoL grants.  Sarah holds a M.A. in Art History from Arizona State University and a B.A. in Art History from Northern Arizona State University.

Jacqueline is a Senior Professional Development Associate at the Center for Technology and School Change (CTSC). Since beginning her teaching career in 2007, Jacqueline has gained extensive experience in both general and special education settings, having taught in New York City public schools and internationally in Sonora, México. Driven by a passion for collaborative design, Jacqueline works closely with educators and school leadership to create meaningful, real-world connections between curricular content and technology-enhanced classroom learning. Her goals are to build capacity in schools to adopt and sustain design shifts that foster innovative, student-centered environments, while empowering teachers to become agents of change and inspire authentic learning experiences. In addition to her work at CTSC, Jacqueline teaches undergraduate courses and provides consulting services to academic and cultural institutions throughout the tri-state area.

Anusheh Hashim Byrne is a senior Professional Development Associate working at the Center. She holds a B.A. in psychology and a master’s degree in Learning Design and Technology from the University of Houston. Since 2008, she has worked closely with children and teachers in public and independent schools. Anusheh strives to facilitate teaching and learning experiences which support real-world application, are free of disciplinary boundaries, and are guided by student curiosity, culture, and community. Anusheh believes that when students and teachers work together to design learning experiences, the results are organic, authentic, and deeply relevant, fostering a high level of engagement and thirst for new knowledge and new experiences.

Abby Carle is a Professional Development Assistant at CTSC. She has an M.A. in teaching world languages from the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. Prior to joining CTSC, Abby taught Spanish in middle and high schools in the Boston area for over nine years. She also has several years of experience as an English as a World Language teacher, having worked in various countries around the world. Abby is passionate about Project Based Language Learning, and has collaborated with the National Foreign Language Resource Center at the University of Hawaii to promote PBLL to language educators. She believes strongly in creating meaningful and authentic learning experiences that develop students’ curiosity, creativity, and appreciation for all world languages and identities. 

Jessica works on the Center’s research and evaluation team, supporting several aspects of long-term grant projects that contribute to the Center's Innovating Instruction approach. She is an EdD student in Instructional Technology and Media at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests include dimensions of teacher autonomy, the interplay between individual agency and systemic structures, and mechanisms that help teachers and students forge mutually beneficial pathways through those systems. Jessica has an M.A. in Communication and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a dual B.A. in Political Science and Television/Radio/Film from Syracuse University.

Francheska is currently a Doctoral Research Assistant working on the Center's WELCOME Project, focusing on the qualitative research aspects of the evaluation. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher & Postsecondary Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests include intersectional identity development among Queer students of color, sense of belonging, access for minoritized students, and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). Francheska also has a M.A. in Higher Education Administration and B.A. in English from Stony Brook University. She has a culmination of professional experience at New York University, Columbia University, K-12 schools in Harlem, and non-profit organizations.

Yip is a graduate research assistant in the Center's research and evaluation team. Her work primarily involves experimental and quasi-experimental design for the Center's research-based model, collecting and managing program data, conducting quantitative analysis to explore program impact, and interpreting statistical results to support program development at the Center. Her research interests include educational equity, social network and collaborative learning, and program impact evaluation. Yip is a Ph.D. student in Measurement and Evaluation at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds an MPA in Development Practice from SIPA, Columbia University, and a B.A. in Biology and Economics from Macalester College. 

Madalina Ciocanu is an Education Specialist for the Center's International Projects. She analyzes mixed data and consults on aligning the Center's model in various international contexts. She is currently working on the Center’s consultancy with the National Plan for Educational Transformation 2030 (Plan Nacional de Transformación Educativa 2030) of Paraguay, the country’s national education reform efforts. Within the consultancy, she is working on the diagnostic analysis and the roadmap policy formation stages in terms of ICT integration in education.

Her interests lie in epistemological equity as facilitated by technology. Prior to joining the Center, she worked in grassroots initiatives and INGO environments pertaining to development and policy advocacy. Her independent research explores the implementation of pluriversal education models, through the case of Community-Based Indigenous Secondary Schools (Secundarias Comunitarias Indígenas - SECOIN) in Oaxaca (Ciocanu, 2020). Ultimately, Madalina hopes to explore the dialogical possibilities of multiliteracies in global education.

She received a Master of Arts in International Educational Development (concentration: International Policy and Planning) from Teachers College, Columbia University and a double BA in Anthropology and International Relations.

Yanjun brings his hands-on experience with educational technology and school-level reform to the Center. Yanjun believes it is essential to provide customized learning opportunities to students with varying levels of academic knowledge so that they may internalize the knowledge and achieve their full potential. He graduated from Penn GSE with a Masters in Teaching, Learning & Leadership, and is now working on his Doctor of Education in the Instructional Technology & Media program. His research interests include technology integration, teacher professional development, and STEM education. In his free time, playing board games and attending Toastmasters International club are his favorite methods to relax his brain and make friends.

Xin (Iris) is a research intern at the Center and a master's student in the Communication and Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a B.A. in Linguistics and
Communication Studies from the University of Liverpool. Her research focuses on the intersection of educational technology, media, STEM education and language education. Iris is developing skills in both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how technology can enhance learning experiences for students and teachers. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, traveling, and singing in the community choir.

Xiaoxue Du is a Research & Evaluation Consultant for the Center’s Research Team where she works for a related National Science Foundation project. Xiaoxue is a doctoral graduate at the program of Instructional Technology and Media at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on exploring the complexity among professional development, assistive technology, and special education. 

Previously, Xiaoxue worked as a Technology Specialist and a Research Assistant at the Center for Technology and School Change. She also taught digital learning technologies (e.g., scratch, processing, Arduino, wearable technology), where she worked with students to come up with project ideas, learn to be empathic, and develop a sense of social awareness to support people in need in their communities. Xiaoxue graduated with Ed.M in Instructional Technology and Media, M.A. in Technology Specialist from Teachers College, Columbia University, and M.A. in Politics at New York University

Dr. Seth McCall is a collaborator and former staff member of the Center. For a decade, Seth worked on various research and evaluation projects at the Center, bringing his interest in educational change, intellectual equality, issues related to social class, and power relations in education. He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Secondary Education at Lake Superior State University in Michigan. Seth holds a BSE in Social Studies Education, an MSE in Adaptive Special Education from the University of Kansas, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. He taught for eight years in Kansas City, Austin, Saint Louis, and Harlem. 

Alex is a Professional Development Consultant at the Center specializing in curriculum design and interdisciplinary pedagogies. She taught 10th Grade Global Studies in Harlem as well as science in Brooklyn schools at the secondary level. Alex’s research interests lie within multimodalities, specifically the use of digital media in and out of the classroom. She is interested in the ways students use technology and digital media formally and informally to communicate their ideas and negotiate their identities. Alex received her doctorate from the Curriculum and Teaching department at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds an M.S. in Childhood Education from Lehman College and a B.A. in International Affairs from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Dr. Mahfood is a Professional Development Consultant at the Center specializing in the sciences. Her professional experiences are strongly engrained in the sciences and education that spans over a 10-year period. These experiences range in curriculum development, teaching science content in the areas of Physical, Life, and Earth Sciences & Mathematics, and science professional development for teachers. She has also participated in several after-school science/mathematics enrichment programs in chemistry, physics, robotics and engineering, statistics and data analysis at different schools and institutions such as the American Museum of Natural History and the School of Engineering at Columbia University. Dr. Mahfood holds a Ph.D. in Science Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and is a member of the Mathematics, Science & Technology faculty. She also holds an M.S. in Science Education from New York University and a B.S. in Biology/General Science from The University of the West Indies in Trinidad.

Dr. Hollands has been conducting research in education, primarily on the impact of technology on K-12 teaching and learning, for over ten years. Fiona is also investigating successful models of education for disadvantaged students and the issue of how to scale up effective practices, including the provision of comprehensive support services for low income students. More recently, given the negative impact of a weak U.S. economy on education budgets, Fiona has been focusing on the cost-effectiveness of various educational interventions, including online and blended learning. Between finishing an M.A. in Sociology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and beginning a Ph.D. in Politics and Education at the same institution, Fiona taught mathematics at Rice High School in Harlem, NY. Fiona was awarded her Ph.D. in 2003 and her dissertation focused on whether and how computer use allows for greater individualization of students’ learning experiences. Prior to entering the field of education, Fiona worked for several years in the international financial securities industry for JPMorgan in London, Paris and New York. Fiona completed her undergraduate studies at Oxford University, England where she earned a B.A. Honours Degree in Pure and Applied Biology.

Dr. Rita Sánchez is the former Associate Director for Professional Development at the Center for Technology and School Change. Her areas of specialization include designing for understanding, rethinking interdisciplinary approaches to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), unpacking standards, and developing opportunities for authentic assessment. Before working with the Center, Rita worked as a mathematics and physics high school teacher in the Universidad de Monterrey for over eight years. She also served in a leadership position, as the Department Head, overseeing the development of curriculum for her division. Rita brings a unique perspective on international education to the Center team. She holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics Education at Teachers College. Rita earned her B.A. in Industrial Engineering from the Technical Institute of Monterrey and her M.S. in Mathematics Education from the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

Dr. Budin is a Senior Lecturer in the Program in Computing and Education. He taught in New York City schools for ten years, and has worked with schools on integrating technology for over thirty years. Since 1983, he has directed the Intensive version of the M.A. program in Computing and Education, which brings teachers from all over the world to Teachers College for July class sessions, and in 2007 he started, and directs, an all-online version of this M.A. program. From 2000 to 2004 he directed the federally funded project Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology, which seeks to ensure that all prospective teachers at the College graduate with the skills and knowledge they need to use technology well in their teaching.