Office Location:
303 F ZankelOffice Hours:
FALL 2024 Office Hours TBATC Affiliations:
Faculty Expertise:
Professional Presentations
Gribovskaya, A. S., Hartman, M., Hollins, K. G., & Mazin, A. (2024, April). Designing a college-wide TPA: A collaborative inquiry. Presentation for Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation, Florida.
Schlessinger, S. Hollins, K. G. & Uva, J. (2018, November). “How do I do it all?”: A multicase study on teacher decision-making for inclusive literacy instruction.” Paper presented at the Literacy Research Association Annual Meeting, California.
Broderick, A. A. & Gustafson, K. A. (2008, March). “On shifting more than language: Espousing the discourse of DSE in a ‘special ed.’ elective course.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York.
Research
Hollins, K. G. (2017). Assistive Technology, Disability, and Access: Transforming Thinking and Practice Through Inquiry-Based Professional Development. EdD diss., Columbia Teachers College. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
Biographical Information
Kara Gustafson Hollins earned a B.S. in Inclusive Elementary & Special Education and Fine Arts from Syracuse University, a M.A. in Culture, Curriculum, and Change and Literacy Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her dissertation is titled: “Assistive Technology, Disability, and Access: Transforming Thinking and Practice Through Inquiry-Based Professional Development.” Her research interests include inclusive elementary and secondary education, accessible pedagogy, literacy and technology, preservice and in-service teacher preparation for inclusive instruction, and disability studies in education.
Kara holds professional licensure in North Carolina: Academically Gifted (K-12); Cross Categorical Special Education (K-12); Elementary Education (K-6); and Reading (K-12). Kara has taught throughout the elementary and middle school grades in a variety of classroom contexts. She is a former K-5 literacy coach, special educator, and academically gifted teacher. A former Teachers College Reading and Writing Project staff developer, Kara has supported teachers and administrators in New York City and across the country with inclusive literacy practices. She was an instructor in the Literacy Specialist Program in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College. Kara was a senior staff developer for the Teachers College Inclusive Classrooms Project for ten years, and continues to work with schools in New York City on issues of equity, literacy, and inclusion.
Currently, Kara is a Lecturer in the Preservice Elementary Inclusive Program in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Teachers College and often teaches the following courses:
- C&T 4001 Differentiating Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms
- C&T 4019 Literacy Supports
- C&T 4060 Instruction for Students with Complex Support Needs
- C&T 4124 Curriculum and Instruction in Elementary Inclusive Education
- C&T 4135 Emergent Bi/Multilingual Learners in Inclusive English-Medium Classrooms
- C&T 4320 Fieldwork: Practicum for Disability, Exclusion and Schooling
- C&T 4321 Fieldwork: Practicum for Students with Significant Disabilities
- C&T 5080 Access to Full Participation in Schools
- C&T 5081 Collaborative Communication in Cultural Contexts
Publications
Hollins, K. G. & Schlessinger, S. L. (2024). Beyond representation: Using nonfiction children’s literature to address ableism. The Reading Teacher, 77(5), 685-691.