Dr. Bruening has degrees in Elementary Education, Counseling & Guidance, Educational Administration, and a doctorate from Arizona State University in Curriculum and Instruction/Special Education.
She served 22 years as a district administrator and Executive Director of Special Education, overseeing a department that covers Special Education, related services, nursing, and school psychology, in large suburban public school districts and schools in Phoenix, Arizona. Two of her districts had recognition as "high fliers" in the state of Arizona for special education subgroup performance in academics on state tests. Dr. Bruening has trained teams and departments, attended hundreds of IEP and 504 Accommodation Plan meetings, and administrated Special Education programming for students age 3 preschool through high school transition age 22. Her doctoral work in Autism led to development of programming for those in K-12 with the diagnosis and training for many classroom and special educators in the district. Previous to administration, Dr. Bruening taught General Education, Special Education (ED resource and co-teaching), served as a school counselor, special education department chair, and district ED specialist. Her academic work in recent years has centered on Autism and Professional Development of teachers (gen ed and special ed).
Professionally, Dr. Bruening held a spot on the Special Education Advisory Panel to the Arizona State Board of Education for many years. She is affiliated with the National Education Association, Arizona Education Association, Council for Exceptional Children, Council for Administrators of Special Education, and Council for Teacher Education and Special Education. She teaches at various universities in both graduate and undergraduate teacher preparation programs. She has worked in other positions the last six years supporting pre-service and in-service special educators, teachers-in-residence, school psychologists and paraprofessionals in the field.