Jessica Rodrigues, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Education

• Ph.D. 2017 – University of Delaware, Education
• M.A. 2013 – Long Island University, Experimental Psychology

Areas of Expertise

• Mathematics learning and teaching for K-12 students with disabilities;
• Research communication and development of innovative strategies to share research findings with K-12 practitioners;
• Development and investigation of mathematics interventions at the elementary and middle school grades for students with disabilities.

Background

Jessica Rodrigues’ research program focuses on the identification and support of K-12 students with or at risk for mathematics learning difficulties and/or disabilities, as well as novel ways of sharing special education research with wide audiences. Rodrigues believes that each child has the potential to make robust gains in their mathematics understanding, each child deserves access to quality mathematics instruction grounded in research evidence, and supporting each child in mathematics requires improvements in research communication to mitigate the research-practice gap. She is passionate about mentoring both undergraduate and graduate students in research experiences in her Mathematics Potential Lab. Before joining UNC, Rodrigues was an Associate Professor in Special Education at the University of Missouri.

Research

Rodrigues’ research spans special education, mathematics learning, and research communication. She has contributed to several mathematics intervention studies for supporting mathematics outcomes and overall STEM success for students with or at risk for mathematics learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Her intervention work has primarily focused on bolstering students’ understanding of fractions. A more recent aspect of her scholarship involves developing innovative and effective ways to communicate research findings to practicing teachers. In addition to her mathematics-focused research, Rodrigues is also one of the primary investigators on a multi-year, ongoing research and outreach project that analyzes the demand for special education faculty across the United States.