Tanya Pinkerton is a clinical associate professor in the Division for Advancing Teacher Preparation at the Mary Lou Fulton College of Teaching and Learning Innovation and serves as the Division Strategist for Global Education and Learning Initiatives. Prior to joining Arizona State University, Dr. Pinkerton spent ten years teaching preschool and elementary-aged children in a public school setting, focusing on educating students with disabilities in an inclusive school environment. Dr. Pinkerton also worked with children from birth to age three with disabilities, or at risk for developing a disability, through the Arizona Early Intervention Program.
Dr. Pinkerton is committed to continued involvement in teacher preparation spaces, especially those that serve future special education teachers. Her interests include strategies to support students with high incidence disabilities in general education settings. Additionally, Dr. Pinkerton is focused on embedding universal design for learning elements into higher education courses to create an inclusive environment for preservice teachers while modeling inclusive education strategies for future teachers.
Dr. Pinkerton has been involved in several key initiatives, including the Higher Education Partnership - Morocco, which aims to enhance teacher preparation and professional development in Morocco through international collaboration and best practices. She is also involved in the Teacher Excellence Initiative, a USAID-funded project that supports the Egyptian government's efforts to transform its education system by improving primary teacher preparation and professional development. Additionally, Dr. Pinkerton supported the Future Educators for Inclusion program, a virtual exchange initiative that prepares future teachers to implement inclusive education practices.
As an educator in teacher preparation, I am interested in embedding Universal Design for Learning elements into each course in order to model effective strategies for future educators.
