Elyse Hambacher
Clinical Associate Professor
About
Dr. Elyse Hambacher’s research focuses on two overlapping areas within the field of teaching and teacher education. First, her research examines the development of educators’ critical social justice literacy and how teaching for social justice is operationalized in education settings. Second, she explores the social contexts in which teaching and learning occur, especially (but not exclusively) as it pertains to how teachers create communities of success and resilience for youth who do not demonstrate traditional definitions of success. She received the 2019 Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s Emerging Scholar Award, a national recognition to scholars in the academy striving to make society more just.
Funded by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, Dr. Hambacher is currently working on a project that examines how justice-oriented white educators in a predominantly white school district engage with concepts of race, anti-racism, and whiteness. She has also helped higher education faculty improve their pedagogy as a facilitator for the Association of College and University Educators. Prior to working in higher education, she was a classroom teacher in Miami, FL, and taught English in Kumamoto, Japan.
Funded by a grant from the Spencer Foundation, Dr. Hambacher is currently working on a project that examines how justice-oriented white educators in a predominantly white school district engage with concepts of race, anti-racism, and whiteness. She has also helped higher education faculty improve their pedagogy as a facilitator for the Association of College and University Educators. Prior to working in higher education, she was a classroom teacher in Miami, FL, and taught English in Kumamoto, Japan.
Affiliations
- School of Teaching and Learning
Research Interests
Classroom Management, Culturally Responsive Teaching, Primary / Elementary, Professional Development, Qualitative Research, Social Justice in Education, Teacher Evaluation, Teacher Quality
Education
- University of Florida, BA in Elementary Education
- Teachers College, Columbia University, MA in Curriculum and Teaching
- University of Florida, PhD in Curriculum, Teaching, and Teacher Education
Activities and Honors
- Rosser Educator Excellence Award, University of Florida, 2024
- Exemplary Online Award for Innovative Teaching Approach, University of Florida, 2024
- Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow, University of Florida, 2023
- Emerging Scholar Award , Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 2019
- Undergraduate Research Award, University of Florida, 2005
Selected Grants
Making Race Visible in Predominantly White Communities: Perspectives of Teachers and Administrators
Role
- Principal Investigator
Funding Agency
- Spencer Foundation
Award Amount
- $49,991
Professional Learning for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Role
- Co-Investigator
Funding Agency
- Oyster River Cooperative School District
Award Amount
- $102,679
Culturally Responsive and Effective STEM Teaching: Strengthening the Foundation for Teacher Success in High-Need School Districts
Role
- Co-Principal Investigator
Funding Agency
- National Science Foundation
Award Amount
- $812,069
Selected Publications
Articles
- Hambacher, E., Desrosiers, D., & Turner, J. (2024). “It’s a form of psychological warfare against educators”: Protective factors for sustaining social justice education in contentious times. Teaching and Teacher Education, 145, 104612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104612.
- Hambacher, E. & Desrosiers, D. (2023). ‘It does happen here’. Phi Delta Kappan, 105(2), 53- 57.
- Benna, J. & Hambacher, E. (2022). Foundations of superintendent trustworthiness: Perspectives of elementary school principals. Journal of School Leadership, 32(2), 148-166.
- Reagan, E. & Hambacher, E. (2021). Teacher preparation for social justice: A synthesis of the literature from 1999-2019. Teaching & Teacher Education. 108, 103520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103520.
- Hambacher, E. & Ginn, K. (2021). Race-visible teacher education: A review of the literature from 2002-2018. Journal of Teacher Education, 73(3), 329-341.
- Hambacher, E., Silva, B., & Morelli, G.* (2020). ‘There was complete silence’: Reflections on teacher preparation for social justice education in a predominantly White community. Multicultural Perspectives, 22(4), 201-209.
- Reagan, E., Hambacher, E., Schram, T., McCurdy, K., Lord, D., Higginbotham, T., & Fornauf, B. (2019). Placing teachers: Review of the literature on rural teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 80, 83-93.