UMass Boston

Kristin Murphy

Department:
College of Education & Human Development Dean's Office
Title:
Associate Dean
Location:
Wheatley Hall Floor 01
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Biography

Kristin Murphy has over fifteen years of experience in Special Education in varied teaching, research, and policy roles. Her research primarily focuses on teacher quality and professional development for teachers and administrators in exclusionary school settings including juvenile corrections, hospital, and alternative school settings. She is also interested in exploring the utility of mixed reality simulations in preservice teacher coursework. 

Degrees

PhD, Special Education, University of Florida, 2014

EdM, Risk and Prevention: Research Concentration, Harvard University, 2008

MS, Special Education, Mercy College, 2005

BA, Psychology, Ithaca College, 2003

Professional Publications & Contributions
  • Murphy, K. M. (in press). “I’m going to need a change…”: Understanding a teacher’s experiences in a juvenile corrections school. Journal of Education and Human Development.
  • Murphy, K. M. (2018). Listening to Juvenile Corrections School Teachers: A Step-By-Step Process for Interview Studies Guided by Hermeneutics. The Qualitative Report, 23(1), 29-46
  • Murphy, K. M., Cash, J., & Kellinger, J. (2018). Learning with avatars: Exploring mixed reality simulations for next-generation teaching and learning. In Keengwe, S. (Ed.). Handbook of Research on Pedagogical Models for Next Generation Teaching and Learning (pp. 1-20). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
  • McCray, E. D., Ribuffo, C., Lane, H. B., Murphy, K. M., Gagnon, J. C., Houchins, D. E., & Lambert, R. G. (2017). “As real as it gets”: A grounded theory study of a literacy intervention in a secure-care facility.
  • Saultz, A., Murphy, K. M., & Aronson, B. (2016). Meeting the needs of school leaders and teachers: Lessons learned from the Atlanta cheating scandal. Phi Delta Kappa, 97, 48-52.
  • Bettini, E. & Murphy, K. M. (2016). What do special educators need to succeed? Published in The Conversation and HuffPost Education section of the Huffington Post March 11, 2016.
  • Aronson, B., Murphy, K. M., & Saultz, A. (2016). Under pressure in Atlanta: School accountability and disability practices during the cheating scandal. Teachers College, Record, 118(14).
  • Bettini, E., Kimerling, J., Park, Y., & Murphy, K. M. (2015). Responsibilities and instructional time: Relationships identified by special educators in self-contained classes for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Preventing School Failure.
  • Gagnon, J. C., Murphy, K. M., Steinberg, M. A., Gaddis, J., & Crockett, J. (2013). IDEA-related professional development in juvenile corrections schools. Journal of Special Education Leadership, 26, 93-105.
  • Leko, M. M., Brownell, M. T., Sindelar, P. T., & Murphy, K. M. (2012). Promoting special education preservice teacher expertise. Focus on Exceptional Children, 44 (7), 1-16.
  • Gagnon, J.C., Houchins, D. H., & Murphy, K.M. (2012). Personnel preparation in the school-to-prison pipeline. Teacher Education and Special Education.
  • Houchins, D. H. Shippen, M., & Murphy, K.M. (2012). Evidence-based professional development considerations along the school to prison pipeline, Teacher Education and Special Education, 35, 271-283.
  • Brownell, M. T. & Murphy, K. M. (2012). Managing inclusive classrooms. In Brownell, M., Smith, S., Crockett, J., & Griffin, C. (Eds.). Inclusive Instruction: Using Evidence Based Practices for Teaching Students with Disabilities. New York, NY: Guilford Publications, Inc.
  • Brownell, M. T., Lauterbach, A. L., Benedict, A., Bettini, E., Murphy, K. M., & Stephens, J. (2012). Preparing teachers to effectively deliver reading instruction and behavioral supports in response to intervention frameworks. In Cook, B., Tankersly, M., & Landrum, T. J. (Eds.). Advances in Learning and Behavioral Disorders. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing, Ltd.
  • Steinberg, M. A. & Murphy, K. M. (2012). An annotated review of current research supporting the use of Kurzweil 3000 in higher education. (pp. 1-13). Natick, MA: Kurzweil Educational Systems, Cambium Learning Group.

Additional Information

Murphy has served as a researcher on two different federal grants funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, and has expertise in qualitative research methods. She has experience teaching coursework at both the undergraduate and master's level in special education in addition to supervision of students pursuing initial and professional licensure in Moderate Disabilities PreK-8 and 5-12 in Massachusetts. Prior to her career in higher education, Murphy worked for the New York City Department of Education for five years, first as a Special Education teacher and then on No Child Left Behind related operations and dissemination that pertained to students with disabilities. She holds a permanent teaching certificate as a Special Education Teacher K-12 in New York State.

Murphy teaches the following courses in the College of Education and Human Development:

EDC U 230 Inclusion K-12

EDC G 630 Inclusion K-12

SPE G 625: Reading and Writing Instruction and Assessment for Students with Moderate Disabilities, Grades PreK-8

SPE G 629: Consultation and Interpersonal Skills I

SPE G 631: Clinical Teaching Skills for Students with High Incidence Disabilities, Grades 5-12

SPE G 633: Legal and Political Issues in Special Education

SPE G 692: Capstone Research Seminar

SPE G 698: Moderate Disabilities Practicum PreK-8, 5-12

Honors College:

HONORS 101 Freshman Seminar: Tell Me a Story: Equity, Opportunity, and Achievement in Classrooms with Diverse Learners

HONORS 380: Understanding Their Experiences with Street Trauma: Youth Participatory Action Research Methods