Heather M. Reynolds, Ed.M., Ph.D. is a Professor of Teacher Education in the School for Graduate Studies at SUNY Empire State College. Dr. Reynolds has more than thirty years of experience working as a teacher, researcher, and a teacher educator where she has been focused on creating safe, engaging, and welcoming school and classroom environments. Her professional expertise and passion for education led her to serve on the Board of Education for the Saratoga Springs CSD from 2016-2019. Her most recent publications have tackled social justice and school safety as well as highlighting strategies for local district decision makers to work collaboratively with experts in the field to adopt data driven school safety programs and policies.
Degrees
- Ph.D. in Education and Psychology from University of Michigan
- Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University
- B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University
Awards
- Arthur Imperatore Community Forum Fellowship (2021-2022 academic year)
- The Jane W. Altes Prize for Exemplary Community Service (March 2021)
Publications
Reynolds, H., Astor, R., Watson, K., & Marachi, R. (in press). Current approaches to school safety. In C. Franklin, M. Harris, & P. Allen-Meares (Eds.), The school services sourcebook (3rd ed., Chapter 27). Oxford University Press.
Reynolds, H. & Astor, R.A. (2022). Reimagining school safety during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for policy maker, school board, and district-level strategies to address racial and social justice (Chapter 11). In J. Bishop (Ed), Our Children Can’t Wait: The Urgency of Reinventing Education Policy in America, Teachers College Press.
Reynolds, H. & Astor, R.A. (2022). School policing, climate and safety: The challenges for local policy makers in urban districts. Education and Urban Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245221121798
Reynolds, H. (2022, October). Taking the politics out of school safety decisions: Strategies for local districts to work collaboratively with experts in the field. American School Board Journal (online). https://www.nsba.org/ASBJ/2022/october/online-only-politics-school-security
Reynolds, H. Silvernell, D. & Mercer, F. (2020). Teaching in an era of political divisiveness: An exploration of strategies for discussing controversial issues. The Clearinghouse: A Journal of Educational Issues, Strategies, and Ideas. DOI: 10.1080/00098655.2020.1762063
Reynolds, H. (2019, July). Reflections of a Board of Education member in a time of politicization and intolerance. Teachers College Record (online). www.tcrecord.org ID: 22976
Reynolds, H. & Astor, R.A. (2018, December). Life and death school safety choices in search of data and science. Teachers College Record (online). www.tcrecord.org ID: 22600
Reynolds, H. & Wagle, T. (2018). Utilizing program specific data to develop case studies for use with preservice teachers. In Polly, D., Putnam, M., Petty, T., & Good, A. (Eds.). Handbook of Research on Innovative Practices in Teacher Preparation and Graduate-Level Teacher Education Programs (pp. 1-20). IGI Global.