Serra T. De Arment, Ph.D.

Education

• Ph.D. in education, concentration in special education and disability policy, Virginia Commonwealth University
• M.T. in special education, University of Virginia
• B.A. in psychology, University of Virginia

Research interests

Teacher preparation and development in early childhood and K-12 special education, collaborative and inclusive teaching practices, universal design for learning, open educational resources, self study of teacher education practices

Career highlights

• VCU School of Education Distinguished Teaching Award, 2021
• VCU School of Education Distinguished Dissertation Award, 2016
• Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU Spirit of Advocacy Award Recipient, 2015
• Certified by the National Board as an exceptional needs specialist in 2009

Recent publications/projects

• Traineeships for Educators Across the Commonwealth to Hold Special Education Endorsement (TEACH-Special Education) (PI & Project Director), Virginia Department of Education, $75,318. 2022-2023.

• Traineeships for Virginia Special Educators (T4VaSE) (Co-PI & Co-Project Director), Virginia Department of Education, funded for $82,744. 2021-2022.

• An Open Access Introduction to Special Education (PI, Project Manager), VIVA Open Course Grant, funded for $30,000. 2021-2024.

• Project PIRR: Preparing Interdisciplinary, Responsive, and Reflective EI/ECSE Professionals and Social Workers. (Co-PI), USDOE OSEP Personnel Preparation grant H325K210086 funded for $1,162,539. 2021-2025.

• Williams, M. C., Spence, C., Hill, C., Coogle, C., De Arment, S., & Xu, Y. (2022). Innovative collaborations to support future early interventionists. In Batz, Blanchard, D. Rooks-Ellis, & S. Stegenga (Eds.), Leadership. (DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series No. 9). Washington, DC: Division for Early Childhood.

• Co-PI for Project 3IP: Interdisciplinary and Intensive Intervention Preparation for Professionals Serving Young Children with Significant Disabilities, USDOE OSEP Personnel Preparation, USDOE OSEP Personnel Preparation grant H325K170076 funded October 2017 for $1,090,947.

• Xu, Y., De Arment, S.T., Coleman, H.M.*, & Huennekens, M.E. (2018). Teacher scaffolding for reciprocal peer tutoring to promote English learners’ language skills. In P. Snyder & M. Hemmeter (Eds.), Instructional practices: Effective strategies to ensure child development and learning (DEC Recommend Practices Monograph Series No. 4). Washington, DC: Division for Early Childhood.

• De Arment, S.T., Xu, Y., & Coleman, H.M.* (2016). Optimizing accessibility through universal design for learning. In T. Catalino & L. Meyer (Eds.), Environment: Promoting meaningful access, participation, and inclusion (DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series No. 2). Washington, DC: Division for Early Childhood.

• De Arment, S.T., Reed, E., & Wetzel, A.P. (2013). Promoting adaptive expertise: A conceptual framework for special educator preparation. Teacher Education and Special Education, 36(3), 217-230. doi:10.1177/0888406413489578

Bio

Dr. Serra De Arment is a Richmond native who earned her B.A. and M.T. degrees from the University of Virginia in 2001 and began a 10-year career as a special education teacher in diverse school divisions around Virginia. In 2009 she achieved National Board Certification as an Exceptional Needs Specialist and from 2012-2020 she co-facilitated a regional support program for educators pursuing National Board Certification through the VCU’s Metropolitan Education Training Alliance. Now as a teacher educator, Dr. De Arment prepares early intervention to preschool (birth to 5) and K-12 special educators for working with children and youth in inclusive settings. She is the coordinator for the Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate Program in Special Education Teaching K-12 and also teaches and advises in the M.Ed. in Special Education, Early Childhood concentration. A teacher at heart, her research interests center on teacher education practices for strengthening the special educator workforce and enhancing student access and inclusion, particularly in under-resourced communities and for students with multiple marginalized identities. She is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children and the American Educational Research Association as well as the local Richmond Early Childhood Association.

Curriculum Vitae