CTERIN selects three doctoral students as fellows

​The California Teacher Education Research and Improvement Network (CTERIN) selected three UCI School of Education doctoral students – Jonathan Montoya, Ethan Rubin, and Steven Skoropad – as CTERIN Fellows.
 
Montoya, Rubin, and Skoropad are among 24 doctoral students selected from across the UC system for the depth of their professional activities and experience, proposed research statements, and experience in K-12 classrooms. The 24 fellows will function as a community to expand the preparation of doctoral students in teacher education while receiving mentorship from UC senate faculty and staff.

Montoya’s CTERIN research will weave themes of social justice and culture to Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways.
 
“I want to ameliorate the convoluted journeys to both college and career for traditionally marginalized students in the K-20 system – my goal is to discover what works to help more students,” Montoya said.
 
Montoya, a second-year doctoral student, studies language use in STEM and CTE Pathways, and equitable routes to college and career. He holds secondary teaching credentials in Biological Sciences, Geosciences, and Career Technical Education and has taught AVID, MESA, English, Algebra, and post-secondary CTE courses. He is the recipient of an ECMC foundation fellowship to study Postsecondary Career and Technical Education and a National Science Foundation Ridge to Reef Research Traineeship in Environmental Change. Montoya is specializing in Teaching, Learning, and ​Educational Improvement (TLEI). Professor Mark Warschauer and Associate Professor Hosun Kang serve as his co-advisors.

Jonathan Montoya

Rubin, also a second-year doctoral student, studies out-of-school time, social-emotional learning, trauma-informed education, identity formation, and research practice partnerships. His current research examines how student-educator relationships affect the social-emotional development of underserved youth, especially in alternative or experiential environments.

Prior to entering the doctoral program, he worked in the education field for 10 years, with experience ranging from classroom teaching to youth work in national parks and on construction sites. He is a previous recipient of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, earning his MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge.

​Rubin is specializing in Teaching, Learning, and Educational Improvement (TLEI). Professors Rossella Santagata and Elizabeth van Es serve as his co-advisors.

Ethan Rubin

​First-year doctoral student Skoropad will be working with Professor van Es to conduct research on understanding the enactment of social and racial justice within teacher education programs across different UCs.
 
“My research will resolve around understanding teacher learning within teacher education programs, induction, and continued professional development,” Skoropad said. “I am particularly interested in understanding what components of a teacher education program are best in preparing educators to succeed in different settings.”
 
Skoropad’s research foci include science education, inquiry-based teaching practices, equity-based teaching practices, and professional development programs. He received his master’s degree in Urban Education and worked for nine years in the field of education, gaining experience as a secondary physics and robotics teacher and as a science curriculum specialist. Skoropad is specializing in Teaching, Learning, and Educational Improvement (TLEI). Kang and van Es serve as his co-advisors.

Steven Skoropad