Meghan A. Kessler
Meghan A. Kessler
Primary Affiliation: Co-Lead, Education, Learning, and Child and Family Well-Being Working Group
College of Education and Human Services | University of Illinois Springfield
Skill Highlights
Teacher Education
Award-winning K-12 and Higher Ed Teaching Experience
Team Building and Empathic Leadership
Coaching and Mentoring
Community Engagement
Policy Expertise
Milestones
EXPERIENCE &
BACKGROUND
ABOUT
Meghan A. Kessler is an award-winning educator, teacher educator, and teacher education researcher. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Illinois Springfield specializing in social studies and teacher education. She also holds an appointment as a Collaborating Scholar with the University of Illinois System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Her research interests include teacher education and preparation, social studies education, and whole-child teaching and learning. She is particularly interested in educators’ enactments of policy or reform and teacher identity and development across the career spectrum. Her work has been published in Teaching Education, Teachers College Record, and Policy Futures in Education. She has extensive experience leading professional development and continuing education for practicing teachers on a variety of topics. Prior to pursuing her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Kessler taught middle and high school social studies in several diverse urban and rural districts across Illinois.
UIS Assistant Professor of Teacher Education
IGPA Collaborating Scholar and Working Group Co-Leader
Illinois Professional Educator License (grades 6-12)
Endorsements:
Social Science, grades 6-8
Social Science, grades 9-12
Teacher Leader: Geography, History, Political Science, Reading Teacher, Social Science, grades 6-12
American Educational Research Association (Division K, Social Studies Research SIG)
National Association of Multicultural Education
National Council for the Social Studies
Illinois Council for the Social Studies
Association of Teacher Educators
Illinois Association of Teacher Educators
Illinois Association of Colleges of Teacher Education
Illinois Federation of Teachers
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL; Ph.D. Curriculum & Instruction, 2018.
St. Xavier University, Chicago, IL; M.A. Teaching & Leadership, 2012.
Augustana College, Rock Island, IL; B.A. History and Secondary Education, 2008.
Engagement
Golden Apple
Faculty Liaison to the Golden Apple Scholars program, which prepares aspiring teachers for long-term success by providing college tuition assistance, professional development, and mentoring throughout their undergraduate and teaching careers
Resilience in Education
Steering Committee and Founding Member, Springfield Resilience Initiative; Consultant, Partnership for Resilience
Policy Presentations
Presenter at Policy Incubator, Poverty and Policy Summit, Illinois General Assembly New Members Conference, Illinois
Trusted Advisor
Advisory Board, Illinois New Teacher Collaborative; Research Advisory Council, Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, University of Illinois System Discovery Partners Institute; Alternate Member, Faculty Advisory Council, Illinois Board of Higher Education
Media Highlights
Featured in Chicago Tribune, Springfield Journal Register, WILL (NPR), WMAY/WQLZ (Springfield radio) WREX (Rockford), KHQA (Springfield)
Steering Committees
Steering Committee for Research Advisory Council, Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, University of Illinois System Discovery Partners Institute; Illinois Professional Educator Competencies Steering Committee
Recent Publications
Up Next
HONORS & AWARDS
