R.A. Neal

Dr. Rebecca A. Neal is an Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations for the Teacher Education Department at Hamline University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from Hampton University, master of arts degrees in special education from the College of William and Mary and the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction with a special education and culturally responsiveness concentration from Arizona State University. Dr. Neal’s research centers on the emotional and behavioral ecology of general and special education settings. Deeply embedded within her scholarship and practice is working toward increasing social-emotional learning opportunities for students, particularly youth who have been traditionally marginalized within society and school systems. A strand of Dr. Neal’s work focuses on understanding how teachers’ and students’ conceptualizations of behavior mediates classroom interactional processes. In addition to having over a decade of experience as a special education practitioner in urban school districts, Dr. Neal maintains her teaching license. She is also the recipient of several honors and awards.