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Ed.D. School Psychology
National Louis University, Skokie, Illinois
M.Ed. Curriculum and Instruction
National Louis University, Evanston, Illinois
B.A. Special Education
Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago
Jolanta Jonak, Ed.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She earned an Ed.D. in Educational Psychology with concentration in School Psychology. Her previous degrees are in Special Education and Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Jonak has worked as a special education teacher and school psychologist in various elementary and high school settings in the greater Chicago area. Her research interests are in cultural and linguistic diversity, high-incidence disabilities, best educational and assessment practices of diverse students, and mental health.
Room LWH 3024
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Thursdays: Noon–4:00 p.m.
Ed.D., Early Childhood Special Education
The George Washington University, Washington, DC
M.S.W., Social Work
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
B.A., Education
Illinois State University, Normal, IL
Kritikos, E.P., LeDosquet, P.L., & Melton, M. (2011). Foundations of assessment in early childhood special education. Pearson: Upper Saddle, NJ.
Dr. Mark Melton is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience in supporting children with behavioral and regulatory challenges and their families. Mark has over 20 years of experience in educational, vocational and residential settings. Mark has been a classroom teacher, a school administrator and has worked as a family support coordinator for early intervention services. Mark worked for the Fairfax County (Virginia) Public School Division as a mental health consultant to the Head Start and Kindergarten programs where he was responsible for professional development of staff and intervention with children, their teachers and families. Mark has maintained a private practice in clinical social work for over twelve years, working with children and their families. Mark completed his Doctoral Degree from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Room LWH 4035
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Ph.D., Special Education - Emotional/Behavioral Disorders - University of North Texas, Denton
M.Ed., Counseling - University of Texas, El Paso
B.A., Psychology - University of Texas, El Paso
Moreno, G., Wong-Lo, M., & Bullock, L.M. (2017). National examination of the practice of the functional behavioral assessment: Survey of educators and their experiences in the field. International Journal of Emotional Education, 9(1), 54-70.
Moreno, G., & Bullock, L.M. (2015). Offering behavioral assistance to Latino students demonstrating challenging behaviors: Incorporating the functional behavioral assessment as pre-referral practice. International Journal of Emotional Education, 7(2), 36-48.
Moreno, G., & Segura-Herrera, T. (2014). Review of school disciplinary practices and Latino students in public schools. Multicultural Teaching and Learning, 9(1), 33-51.
Moreno, G., Wong-Lo, M., Short, M., & Bullock, L.M. (2013). Implementing a Culturally Attuned Functional Behavioral Assessment to Understand and Address Challenging Behaviors Demonstrated by Students from Diverse Backgrounds. Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties.
Moreno, G., Wong-Lo, M., & Bullock, L.M. (2013). Assisting students from diverse backgrounds with
challenging behaviors: Incorporating a culturally attuned functional behavioral assessment in pre-referral services. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth,
58(1), 58-68.
Moreno, G. (2013). Special education and diverse populations. In C. E. Cortes & J. G. Golson (Eds.), Multicultural America. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Moreno, G., & Gaytán, F.X. (2012). Special issue - Focus on Latino learners: Developing a foundational understanding of Latino cultures to cultivate student success. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 57(1), 7-16.
Moreno, G. & Gaytán, F. X. (2012). Reducing subjectivity in special education referrals by educators working with Latino students: Encouraging the incorporation of the functional behavioral assessment as a pre-referral practice. Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties, 18(1), 88-101.
Moreno, G., & Wong-Lo, M. (2011). Considerations and practices in working with students and families from Latino and Asian-American backgrounds. Multicultural Learning & Teaching, 6(1).
Moreno, G. (2011). Addressing Challenging behaviours in the general education setting: Conducting a teacher-based functional behavioural assessment (FBA). Education 3 - 13, 39(3), 1-9.
Moreno, G., & Bullock, L. M. (2011). Principles of positive behavior supports: Using the FBA as a problem-solving approach to address challenging behaviours beyond special populations. Emotional & Behavioural Difficulties, 16(2), 117-127.
Moreno, G. (2011). Special issue on cyberbullying: Case study vignettes. Preventing School Failure, 55(2), 70, 78, 87, 101.
Adams, T. E. & Moreno, G. (2011). Sexual orientation and race. In M. Z. Strange, C. K. Oyster, & J. G. Golson (Eds.), The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Moreno, G. (2010). No need to count to ten: Advocating for the early implementation of the functional behavioural assessment in addressing challenging behaviours. Emotional & Behavourial Difficulties, 15(1), 15-22.
Johns, B. H., Moreno, G., Albrecht, S. F., Hale, R., & Raza-Self, S. Y. (2007). Connecting with troubled children and youth: Commitment, caring, and collaboration. Highlights from the International Forum on Education Troubled Children/Youth: Innovative Approaches, Alternative Settings, and Multidisciplinary Collaboration Resulting in Positive Outcomes [Monograph]. Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders, Arlington, VA.
Lloyd, S. R., Wood, T. A., & Moreno, G. (2000). What’s a mentor to do? Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(6), 38-42.
Gerardo Moreno is Professor of Special Education at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago and serves as the Director of the William Itkin Children’s Service Center.
Dr. Moreno’s research and teaching focus on the development, delivery, and evaluation of special education services for children and youth with disabilities, particularly individuals identified with specific learning disabilities and/or emotional behavioral disorders. Through this scope, he examines the development and implementation of psychometric and curriculum-based assessments, best practices in academic interventions (e.g., Response to Intervention), and programming/interventions for individuals with emotional/behavioral disorders, particularly the use of the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and Positive Behavior Supports (PBS). Additionally, his research examines the impact of past and current educational practices on the quality of services for individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and the development of cultural competency among pre-service and in-service educators.
Dr. Moreno completed his doctoral work in Special Education with a Focus on Emotional/Behavioral Disorders at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, under the guidance of Dr. Lyndal M. Bullock. Prior to entering the field of higher education, he worked as a school counselor and special education classroom teacher in Texas public schools for more than 10 years.
Room LWH 4020 E
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Ph.D., Joint Doctoral Program in Special Education, University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University (2015).
M.S., Exceptional Education, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2005).
B.S., Psychology and Biological Aspects of Conservation, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2000).
Courey, S., Balogh, E., Siker, J. R., & Paik, J. (2012). Academic music: Understanding basic fraction concepts through music notation. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 81, 251-278. doi: 10.1007/s10649-012-9395-9
Courey, S. J., LePage, P., Siker, J. R., Roschelle, J., & Blackorby, J. (2011). Preparing middle school mathematics teachers: Rethinking engagement and learning. The Mathematics Enthusiast.
Courey, S. J., Tappe, P., Siker, J., & LePage, P. (2013). Improved lesson planning with Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Teacher Education and Special Education, 36, 7-27. doi: 10.1177/0888406412446178
LePage, P., Courey, S., Blackorby, J., Siker, J., Nguyen, T. (2015). Using Dynabook to improve special education teachers’ thinking. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies (IJWLTT), 10(1).
Murata, A., Siker, J., Kang, B., Baldinger, E., Kim, H. J., Scott, M., & Lanouette, K. (2017). Math talk and student strategy trajectories: The case of two first grade classrooms. Cognition and Instruction, 35(4), 290-316. doi:10.1080/07370008.2017.1362408
Siker, J., & Gonzales, W. (2021) Preparing paraprofessionals from non-dominant backgrounds: An investigation of experiences in graduate school. Teacher Education Division Conference Proceedings. https://tedcec.org/sites/default/files/2021-12/TED%202021%20Correct%20Conference%20Proceedings.pdf
Room LWH 4040
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Thursday: 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Google Meet:
https://meet.google.com/rob-fvvu-meh?authuser=0&hs=122
B.A., Early Childhood Education and Bilingual education-Saint Xavier University
M.Ed, Learning Behavior Specialist 1-University of Illinois at Chicago
Ph.D., Special Education
Gonzales, W., & Moreno, G. (2022). Culturally Attuned Assessment and Identification Practices in the 21st Century. Bilingual Special Education for the 21st Century: A New Interface, 51-80.
Hughes, M. T., Magaña, S., Gonzales, W., Núñez, G., & Moreno-Angarita, M. (2022). Colombian parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: Perceptions, experiences, and expectations. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 25(1), 25-36.
Magaña, S., Tejero Hughes, M., Salkas, K., Gonzales, W., Núñez, G., Morales, M. & Moreno-Angarita, M. (2021). Implementing a parent education intervention in Colombia: Assessing parent outcomes and perceptions across delivery modes. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 36(3), 165-175.
Gonzales, W., & Tejero Hughes, M. (2021). Leveraging a Spanish Literacy Intervention to Support Outcomes of English Learners. Reading Psychology, 42(4), 411-434.
Siker, J., & Gonzales, W. (2021, November). PREPARING PARAPROFESSIONALS FROM NON-DOMINANT BACKGROUNDS: AN INVESTIGATION OF EXPERIENCES IN GRADUATE SCHOOL. In TED 2021 Conference (p. 254).
Gonzales, W. (2019). English Learners Struggling with Literacy: Does A Spanish Literacy Intervention Enhance Outcomes? (Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Chicago).
Gonzales, W., Núñez, G., Soria, M., & Hughes, M. T. (2018). Engaging in Literacy: Latino Families Speak Up. International Journal of Education, 10(2), 50. https://doi.org/10.5296/IJE.V10I2.12984
Meléndez, J. W., Radinsky, J., Vossoughi, S., Marin, A. M., Bang, M., Nolan, C. M., & Hall, R. (2018). Community-based design partnerships: Examples from a new generation of CHAT/DBR. International Society of the Learning Sciences, Inc.[ISLS].
Gonzales, W., & Tejero Hughes, M. (2018). Libros en mano: Phonological awareness intervention in children’s native languages. Education Sciences, 8(4), 175.
Room LWH 4053
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States