Honoring achievements: new promotions in the College of Education

At the College of Education, faculty excellence is a source of great pride. So it is with great appreciation that we recognize the outstanding achievements of three remarkable educators, Tiffany Jones, Dot McElhone and Michael Smith. Their passion and dedication to their students  and advancing the field of education have led to well-deserved promotions.

Tiffany Jones has been promoted to associate professor of practice in the Department of Special Education. Jones joined the department in 2007 as an instructor and was promoted to assistant professor of practice in 2017. Since 2013, she has served as the Inclusive Elementary Educator program coordinator. She is also the PSU liaison for the Rise to Teach program.

Jones has a master’s degree in special education from PSU and a bachelor's in elementary education from Warner Pacific College. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in special education.

Her inclusive teaching philosophy traces back to her midwestern roots. Jones grew up as a black child of a teen mother in a housing project in Omaha, Nebraska during the civil rights era. In her community, conversations about race, the importance of education, power and poverty were commonplace. “I grew up with the knowledge that kids like me weren’t expected to succeed,” Jones said. “And if my life had lived out the statistics, I would not be where I am today.”

Jones had a great role model in her first grade teacher, a black woman who inspired her to read about places beyond their neighborhood and planted the seed for her career path in education. That seed blossomed and Jones spent nearly two decades working as a teacher and behavior consultant in middle and high schools throughout the Portland metro area prior to arriving at PSU.

Jones is passionate about mentoring and coaching teacher candidates as they prepare for a career in education, working with K-12 students who struggle with reading, and connecting with BIPOC students whose experiences resonate with her own journey into teaching.

“My work, first as a K-12 teacher and foster parent, and later as a PSU instructor, has revealed the highs, lows, and incredible impact we can have on the lives of others,” Jones said.

Her research and scholarly interest includes literacy and behavioral interventions for students with disabilities that are also categorized as at-risk. For example, minority youth, youth in foster care, and those impacted by issues of poverty. She also focuses on preparing teachers to work on restricted or emergency licenses.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones successfully transitioned her work with teacher candidates from in-person to online formats, initiating inclusive book clubs virtually for children in grades 3-5 in the Portland Metro area. She’s also proud to serve as a PSU liaison, facilitating the transition of BIPOC students from high school to Portland Community College and then on to teacher licensure through programs like Rise to Teach.

“I am proud of our graduates of the Inclusive Educator Programs,” Jones said. “They are out there doing important work as they advance the efforts of our local schools to build inclusive classrooms.”

Dot McElhone has been promoted to professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Since joining the College of Education in 2009, she has played a pivotal role in various capacities, including as the program coordinator of the Graduate Teacher Education Program - Elementary, a cohort leader for doctoral students specializing in Educational Leadership - Curriculum and Instruction and the lead designer of PSU’s new Elementary Education Bachelor’s degree.

McElhone's academic journey is marked by her dedication to advancing literacy education. She holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Teacher Education from Stanford University, and is a former National Academy of Education/Carnegie Corporation Pre-Doctoral Literacy Fellow. Prior to her time at PSU, McElhone served as a teaching and research assistant at Stanford University and taught in the Tigard Tualatin School District for five years.

McElhone's  research delves into the patterns of teacher-student talk around texts, focusing on strategies that encourage students to deepen their understanding, articulate their thoughts and provide evidence for their positions. She also explores the use of video and discourse analysis for teacher professional development in facilitating classroom discussions about texts.

McElhone is passionate about fostering connections and promoting equity in education.

“I love that my work gives me opportunities to build connections with other faculty, staff, community college and community partners, school district leaders and teachers, pre-service teachers and doctoral students, and to explicitly take actions to improve equity and access in education,” she said.

Her commitment to helping aspiring teachers reach their goals is evident through her leadership in designing an innovative Elementary Education Bachelor’s degree pathway, that’s now accepting students for fall term. Developed in collaboration with community college partners, this new program focuses on equity and accessibility and aims to break down barriers to entering the field and diversify Oregon's teacher population.

Michael Smith has been promoted to professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy. Smith’s first appointment at PSU was in 2005 as an assistant professor in the Postsecondary Adult and Continuing Education program (PACE). He was promoted to associate professor in 2011 and also served as the department’s program coordinator from 2022 to 2023.

Smith holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, a master’s degree from the University of Michigan, a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and an Associate of Arts degree from Antelope Valley College. Before coming to PSU, Smith taught at UCLA, Stanford University, and Santa Monica Community College. He also worked in college admissions for more than a decade at Loyola Marymount University and Claremont McKenna College.

Smith is a first-generation college student whose parents, one a first-generation immigrant from Panama and the other a Black American from the South, both served as enlisted members in the United States Air Force.

Smith’s research explores the college choice process for low-income African Americans and first-generation students. He also looks at college adjustment for international students along with the broader issue of educational access and equity in the United States. A study from his postdoctoral years explored the interaction of African American single mothers and their college-bound high school daughters using a tri-generational approach.

Currently, Smith is collaborating with a former doctoral student who now works in the Illinois public higher education system, to update two research papers – exploring Chinese ESL student transition into U.S. higher education – and submit them for publication.

Interacting with his students and staying connected with them beyond their time at PSU is a true joy for Smith.

“Whether they be students who read my empirical papers, those who took my courses, or those who were part of my advisor load, it is amazing what our students will go on to do if we can help them see the vast potential for amazing achievement post PACE and after PSU,” he said.

Please join the College of Education in congratulating Jones, McElhone and Smith to mark this significant milestone in their careers. Their promotions underscore their invaluable contributions and continued dedication to empowering educators and human services professionals.