I am an associate professor in the NASP-approved specialist program in School Psychology at Florida International University in Miami. My research interests broadly focus on examining the intersection of cognitive (e.g., executive functioning, attention) and cultural factors (e.g., bilingualism, acculturation) in children’s learning and social-emotional outcomes. I also study educational and mental health disparities through risk and resiliency frameworks.
I received my doctoral degree in School Psychology from Michigan State University and completed my predoctoral internship at Virginia Beach City Public Schools with a specialization in child neuropsychology. Subsequently, I pursued a clinical neuropsychology postdoctoral fellowship at New York University (NYU) Child Study Center where I was a clinician and instructor in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. I have dedicated much of my career to working with students, children, and families from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds.
I have been involved in several collaborative grant-funded projects with two overarching goals: (1) to address the critical shortages of school-based mental health professionals and special educators in the workforce, and (2) to improve the learning and mental health needs of underserved PreK-12 students.
- With collaboration from Miami-Dade County Public Schools and FIU’s School of Social Work, I am director of Project DIG (Demonstration Innovative Grant), which aims to support future school psychologists and school social workers in high-needs schools.
- I am co-director of Project SPECIAL (School Psychologists and Educators: Collaborative Interventions for All Learners), a five-year interdisciplinary grant, which aims to recruit and train diverse school psychology and special education students in working with K-12 with high-intensity needs.
- I am also director of Project CRYSTAL (Culturally Responsive Youth Services in Teaching, Adaptation, and Language), which focuses on training future school psychologists in providing culturally responsive and evidence-based practices.
I am co-author of Culturally Responsive School-Based Practices (with Dr. Anisa Goforth) published by Oxford University Press in early 2023.
Feel free to learn more about my academic interests and the field of School Psychology!
What is Project DIG? Addressing shortages of School Mental Health Professionals
What is a School Psychologist? Courtesy of Dr. Annela Costa, ’16.