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 |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Emerging Leader Award, Council of Directors of School Psychology Programs |
| 2024 | Article of the Year, Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation |
| 2024 | Early Career Award, Trainers of School Psychologists |
| 2022 | Scholar, Research Training Institute in Single-Case Research Design and Analysis, Institute for Education Sciences |
| 2021 | Awardee, SEC Faculty Travel Program |
| 2019 | Early Career Scholar, School Psychology Research Collaboration Conference, Society for the Study of School Psychology |
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
- 2021-2025
- Project CLIMATE is a 4 year research grant funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Department of Justice. Working alongside Drs. Kristine Jolivette, Sara Sanders, Olivia Hester, Kimberly Odom, Allyson Pitzel, Stephanie Anne Shelton (UNC-CH), Wenchao Ma (UMN), and Nicole Prewitt, the project works on two main goals to help improve the climate for youth and personnel in juvenile justice facilities and residential treatment centers.
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, and Keith Smolkowski 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.
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, Marissa Filderman, and Courtney O’Grady, 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.
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.