Endowed Chairs
DR. KAY WIJEKUMAR
Houston Endowment Inc. Endowed Chair in Urban Education
Dr. Kay Wijekumar is Houston Endowed Chair in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A&M University. She also serves as the Director for the Center for Urban School Partnerships (CUSP). Dr. Wijekumar holds degrees in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science, and Instructional Technology and utilizes all those degrees to help children in our schools. She is a passionate advocate for strong evidence-based literacy education for all children and believes that all children are capable of learning to read and write proficiently. Her work focuses on developing and testing intelligent tutoring systems to support literacy education, providing teachers with strong professional development, and ensuring that teachers have the support of school leaders to implement evidence-based practices.
DR. ROGER HOWE
Curtis D. Robert Endowed Chair in Mathematics Education
Dr. Howe has been at the forefront of advancing mathematics for over 50 years, best known for his pioneering work in representation theory which allows mathematicians to translate abstract algebraic problems into a more simplified form of linear algebra. He received his doctorate from the University of California Berkeley and, after a long career at Yale University, will join the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture where he will continue his work to improve the quality of mathematics education.
DR. CHERYL CRAIG
Houston Endowment Inc. Endowed Chair in Urban Education
Dr. Craig is a nationally renowned scholar from the University of Houston where she was previously employed as a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She received her doctorate from the University of Alberta, Canada and her research focuses on the influence of school reform agendas on teachers’ knowledge developments and the unintended consequences that school reform initiatives and educational policies may have on student learning.
DR. MICHAEL DE MIRANDA
Claude H. Everett, Jr. Endowed Chair in Education
Before coming to Texas A&M, Dr. de Miranda spent 18 years as a professor in the Department of Electrical Computer Engineering and the School of Education at Colorado State University. His research focused on the development of young STEM educators, specifically in learning, cognition and instruction in engineering and technology education.