Anne O. Davidson Shafer

Contact Information

Education

• PhD | University of Colorado Boulder: Educational Equity and Cultural Diversity with emphasis on Culture, Language and Social Practices for Inclusion and Change
• MA | University of Colorado, Denver: Special Education Generalist with dual licensure in Elementary Education
• BA | University of Colorado Boulder: Communication with Honors, emphasis on Interpersonal and Organizational
• Colorado Professional Licensure: On Hold
  • K-21 Special Education Generalist
  • K-12 Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education
  • K-6 Elementary Education
  • Secondary Education:
    • English Language Arts
    • Speech Communication]
    • Social Studies
    • Family and Consumer Science
  • School Leadership - Principal

Professional/Academic Experience

Dr. Davidson started her career in education as a Special Education teacher, with 8 years of experience teaching students and an additional 11 years of experience providing coaching, and training to teachers and other providers in school settings. She has experience supporting a variety of approaches to instruction delivery including full inclusion programs, center-based programs, and self-contained programs, across rural and urban school districts in Colorado. She draws on her experience delivering instruction in grade-level classrooms, as well as multi-grade classrooms, supporting students throughout their progress in education from kindergarten, through post-secondary transitions at 18-21 years old. While Dr. Davidson started in Special Education, the disproportionate representation of diverse learners identified and labeled with "disabilities" led her to pursue her doctoral studies in educational equity and cultural diversity. In her Undergraduate and Graduate teaching at UNC, she focuses on instruction through a lens of equity and inclusion, with attention to supporting learners' diverse needs beyond labels of disAbility. To support connections between pedagogy and practice in her classes, she draws on her experience supporting students with a wide range of diverse identities, needs and backgrounds, including: 

• equity-based educational needs, such as students and families who are new to the USA and/or English, disproportionally represented or "at-risk" in school due to experiences like trauma, poverty, and homelessness
• multi-lingual learning needs, including additional languages, non-verbal and AAAT communication
• specific learning needs with emphasis on access and inclusion 
• social-emotional learning needs, including behavior analysis, safety planning, crisis prevention and intervention
• developmental and cognitive learning needs, with instruction and assessment modified appropriately
• multiple medically fragile learning needs, collaborating closely with health care providers 

Research/Areas of Interest

Dr. Davidson's research interests focus on Inclusive Equity in Education for all students with diverse identities, backgrounds, languages, experiences, and needs. Equity and inclusion are essential in the general education setting, where most students access their right to education. Yet for a diverse range of students, the opportunity to access equitable and inclusive education remains elusive. Specially trained educators are essential providers in the current structural model of education.

Separately both language development services and special education services have been shown to support learning while also sustaining segregation and exclusion for many students. The current structure of the educational system struggles to enable equitable access to the general education community. 

General education teachers are the primary source of instruction for most students, who need equitable opportunities to be included in the general education community. It is general education teachers who most need the capacity to build equitable and inclusive communities within their classrooms, and to support all students' right to access education. This intersection of instructional needs, within the general education classroom, is a specific area of interest for Dr. Davidson. Her scholarly works in this area take up varied foci and lenses including, implementing effective pedagogical practices and educational technology, teacher development and coaching, organizational change and avenues that lead toward increasing equity for all learners.