Dr. Marcia Rock recently received the Council for Exceptional Children Teacher Education Division’s (TED) Distinguished Service award, for her service to TED over many years. She has been a member of the organization since she was a graduate student, and has previously served as TED’s president as well as TED’s political action member at large. She is currently a past president.
Rock, a faculty member in the UNCG School of Education’s Department of Specialized Education Services, has a long history of promoting government and political action to improve special education nationally. Her work has promoted advocacy in special education for both herself and the many doctoral students she has worked with through the years.
This advocacy manifests in Rock’s current research interests: technology-enabled coaching in pre- and in-service teacher development, and self-monitoring for students. Through engaging with both teachers and students, she works to improve education for all, especially those students with exceptionalities.
In addition to her longstanding leadership in and service to TED, she is consulting editor and field reviewer for several journals, and works closely with the NC Department of Public Instruction’s Exceptional Children division on a statewide Coaching Collaborative. She has also directed Project LINK-2-LEAD, a leadership preparation grant funded by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs.
Through this work, Rock’s focus remains: to, through research, teaching, and advocacy, make classrooms a better place for both teachers and students.
