Michelle Cumming, Ph.D.

Dr. Cumming is an Associate Professor of Special Education and affiliate faculty with the Center for Children and Families at Florida

International University . Her interdisciplinary research has primarily focused on students with or at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders

and their teachers through three interrelated research strands:

(1) understanding the underlying neurocognitive variables that contribute to

students’ academic and behavioral functioning;

(2) developing prevention/intervention programs to improve students’ self-regulation

and executive functioning; and

(3) gaining insight into how working

conditions contribute to teachers’ instruction and attrition.

In support of her work, she has secured over $8 million in grants, published in top tier journals, and received multiple awards (e.g., FIU Top Scholar).

Dr. Cumming is an associate editor for The Elementary School Journal, served as the elected secretary for CEC-DR, and is on the Superintendent's District Advisory Panel. Prior to receiving her Ph.D.,

she was an elementary school teacher and a learning specialist for grades PK-8.

Specialty

Emotional and behavioral disorders, cultural and

linguistically diverse learners, executive function, stress regulation, prevention/intervention programming, special educators’ working

condition.

Current Projects

Dr. Cumming currently serves as Principal Investigator on a 4-year IES Early Career Grant (R324B190030). The goal of Project Pathways is to better understand the underlying variables that contribute to and escalate behavior and academic problems by investigating how the EF-Stress Loop (i.e., associations among school-based stress, student executive function [EF], and stress regulation) and classroom context relate over time to the behavioral and academic outcomes of middle schoolers with or at-risk for EBD.

Dr. Cumming also serves as Co-PI with Dr. Cramer (PI) on a personnel preparation grant funded by the Office of Special Education Programs to prepare leaders in higher education to meet the needs of racially, ethnically, and linguistical diverse learners backgrounds who receive special education.

Education

· PhD, Special Education, Research and Evaluation Methodology minor, University of Florida

· MSEd, Remedial Education, Sunbridge College

· BFA, Theatre (Scenic Design), Florida International University