Karen Stoiber, PhD

Karen Callan Stoiber teaches courses in advanced doctoral practicum in therapeutic interventions, doctoral advanced practicum in supervision, internship for EdS students, internship for doctoral students, and pediatric psychology for urban settings. Professor Stoiber's research interests include early literacy, social-emotional development, evidence-based practices, consultation and collaboration, functional assessment, and medical-school inter-collaborative partnerships She has directed several federally-funded research and personnel preparation grants on interdisciplinary practices, accommodating children with challenging behavior, collaborative teaming, early literacy interventions, and positive support practices.

Stoiber currently collaborates with Head Start in Milwaukee as the Local Evaluation Partner (LEP). In this role she oversees the evaluation of children’s learning and social emotional development in Head Start classrooms. The LEP oversees and coordinates a variety of evaluation activities, which include conducting assessments of children and classroom environments. The LEP work involves promoting research informed classroom practices and partnerships. This work aims to promote teachers’ use of child assessment and progress monitoring data to inform their classroom instructions. In addition, the LEP work involves conducting staff and parent surveys on their needs and perceptions so that this understanding fosters feasible strategic approaches for promoting staff and parent connectiveness within the Head Start center. The staff and parent data aim to optimize the performance of the Head Start Center by targeting areas to address to ensure that it maintains a high quality learning environment and welcoming community for parents and families of young urban children.

Professor Stoiber also is engaged in collaborative research with Children’s Wisconsin (Hospital) and the Medical College of Wisconsin. She conducts research connected to the Educational Achievement Partnership Program (EAPP). The current project being conducted is Project iSERVE: Investigating Service Effectiveness, Reliability & Validity for Equity. Project iSERVE has the overall goal of evaluating a new service continuation structure to determine whether this approach improves service equity to families and children with chronic illnesses while maintaining effectiveness. Within a service continuation approach, the EAPP is examining service equity and the efficiency and effectiveness of a streamlined, webinar consultation structure for promoting parent and school staff knowledge and advocacy for children with chronic health issues.

Stoiber has served as the Associate Editor on several journals and publications, including School Psychology Review, School Psychology (Quarterly) and the NASP Communique. She also served as President of the American Psychological Association (APA) Division of School Psychology (Div 16), Vice President of APA Division 16, Chair of the Div 16 Task Force on Women, and Co-Chair of the Task Force on Evidence-based Practices. She also has held committee appointments associated with the National Association of School Psychology (NASP). She earned an MS at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a PhD in Educational Psychology with a double major in School Psychology and Cognitive Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Professional Service Roles

• Associate Editor, the Communique
• Associate Editor of School Psychology Review
• Evidence Based Interventions Section Editor of School Psychology Quarterly
• Editorial Boards: Journal of Applied School Psychology and Topics in Early Childhood and Special Education
• Vice President of the APA Division 16 - Social and Ethical Responsibility and Ethnic Minority Affairs
• Associate Editor of the Encyclopedia of School Psychology
• Associate Editor of Handbook of School Psychology.
• Graduate Education Committee Member (sponsored by APA/ NASP)
• Chair and Co-Chair of the APA Div 16 Committee on Women
• Executive Board, Society for the Study of School Psychology

Honors

• Outstanding Article (2007) awarded by the Society for the Study of School Psychology for an article on Functional Assessment and Evidence-based Interventions in Journal of
  School Psychology.
• Outstanding Article (2003) awarded by the Division 16 fellows for an article on Evidence-based Interventions in School Psychology published in School Psychology Quarterly.
• Outstanding Article (2001) awarded by the Division 16 School Psychology Division of APA for two-part article on Empirically-Supported Interventions in School Psychology published in School Psychology Quarterly.
• Selected as a Member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology.
• Outstanding Service Award (provided by APA Div 16 School Psychology
• APA Division 16 Distinguished Service Award
• UWM School of Education Research Faculty Award (2021, 2024)
• Kellner Professorship in Early Childhood Education
• Kellner Professor of Educational Psychology

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)