EDUCATION
| Ph.D. | School Psychology | University of Missouri |
| MA/CAS | School Psychology | East Carolina University |
| B.S. | Multidisciplinary Studies-Neuroscience | East Carolina University |
AWARDS AND HONORS
| Year | Award |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 2022 Scholar, IES Research Training Institute in Single-Case Research Design and Analysis |
| 2021 | 2021 Awardee, SEC Faculty Travel Program |
| 2022 | 2022 Scholar, IES Research Training Institute in Single-Case Research Design and Analysis |
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
School Consultation
Responsiveness to Intervention
Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Teacher Teams
Professional Learning Communities
Data-Based Decision Making
CURRENT RESEARCH AND GRANT PROJECTS
- Project Climate
- 2021-2024
- Project CLIMATE is a 3 year research grant funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice. Working alongside Drs. Kristine Jolivette, Nicole Prewitt, Olivia Hester, and Sara Sanders, the project will work on two main goals to help improve the climate for youth and personnel in juvenile justice facilities and residential treatment centers.
- Create low-intensity, evidence-based protocols to improve school/facility climate and to preventatively address youth problem behaviors during educational programming in centers and facilities.
- Assess the effects of the low-intensity, evidence-based protocols on school/facility climate and youth behavioral outcomes during educational programming as well as the feasibility of our professional learning communities in centers and facilities.
- Project Intensity
- 2020-2025
- Project Intensity is a 5 year research grant funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. Working alongside Drs. Jill Allor, Stephanie Al Otaiba, Greg Benner, Keith Smolkowski, Jason Patron, and Miriam Ortiz, the project is examining the initial efficacy of Friends on the Block (FOTB), an intensive, text-based early literacy intervention for elementary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The project entails a randomized control trial in schools in Alabama and Texas to evaluate FOTB. The program FOTB is designed to enhance the reading and language outcomes of participating students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Project RIIPL
- 2020-2025
- Project RIIPL is a 5 year training grant funded by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. Working alongside Drs. Sara McDaniel, Daniel Cohen, and Laci Watkins, the project provides graduate training for students earning their EdS in School Psychology or EdS in Special Education with a focus on developing future practitioner-leaders to work in rural school settings.
Poster Presentations
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Preast obtained her doctoral degree in school psychology from the University of Missouri. She completed her masters and specialist work in school psychology at East Carolina University, where she also earned the Nationally Certified School Psychologist distinction. Prior to attending the University of Missouri, Dr. Preast practiced school psychology for two years in Eastern North Carolina.
Dr. Preast focuses her research primarily on identifying and implementing systemic change to support the academic and behavioral needs of students. She uses a primary prevention, multi-tiered systems of support approach to educational decision-making and programming. As such, she has studied the impact of academic interventions to address behavioral issues, the importance of using data to inform academic and behavioral intervention choices, the attributes of effective teacher teams, and the influence of psycho-social factors related to bullying and victimization.