Program Support Profiles

Arnela's research centers education as a tool of the state and reflects on the importance of education policies and structures in forming civic attitudes and national loyalties, particularly in post-conflict contexts. She examines the influence of international organizations on national education policies and systems in politically transitioning, multi-ethnic states. The intent of her research is to explore how internationally driven political and social reconstruction in the aftermath of conflict contributes to or hinders the peacebuilding and nation (re)building efforts in states emerging from conflict. 

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT & CAREER DEVELOPMENT ADVISORS

The Alumni Engagement and Career Development Advisor will work to strengthen our alumni network and internship/career preparation activities for current master’s and doctoral students in the International and Comparative Education program.

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

• Support efforts to establish contact and stay connected with our alumni through outreach and engagement activities.
• Develop alumni profiles to include on the program website.
• Plan annual alumni panel and networking event.
• Establish and manage new Alumni LinkedIn site for our program.
• Invite alumni to other events for current and/or prospective students (as needed)

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• Help plan and execute the annual internship fair (fall semester); which may include alumni employers connected to the alumni engagement work.
• Plan presentations/panels by alumni and/or relevant employers for our program; coordinate these efforts with our program’s Peer Advisors to ensure that different themes/topics/professional pathways are covered throughout the year.
• Coordinate career development efforts with the Office of Career Education and Professional Development and active student organizations working on related topics.

Asel's interest focuses on the intersection of policy formulation and implementation in developing countries, governance, and social accountability in education and how approaches and mechanisms of citizen engagement support improvements in the accountability at school and education system levels.

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT & CAREER DEVELOPMENT ADVISORS

The Alumni Engagement and Career Development Advisor will work to strengthen our alumni network and internship/career preparation activities for current master’s and doctoral students in the International and Comparative Education program.

ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

• Support efforts to establish contact and stay connected with our alumni through outreach and engagement activities.
• Develop alumni profiles to include on the program website.
• Plan annual alumni panel and networking event.
• Establish and manage new Alumni LinkedIn site for our program.
• Invite alumni to other events for current and/or prospective students (as needed)

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• Help plan and execute the annual internship fair (fall semester); which may include alumni employers connected to the alumni engagement work.
• Plan presentations/panels by alumni and/or relevant employers for our program; coordinate these efforts with our program’s Peer Advisors to ensure that different themes/topics/professional pathways are covered throughout the year.
• Coordinate career development efforts with the Office of Career Education and Professional Development and active student organizations working on related topics.

Tomás's interest focus on educational privatization, public-private partnerships, school reform, education governance, new philanthropy, social network analysis and International Large Scale Assessments. 

PEER ADVISORS

Peer Advisors (PAs) are doctoral fellows who support all students. You can contact them in person during office hours (by appointment) or send an email.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR PEER ADVISOR?

• The PA is available by appointment weekly and you can find office hours on the program’s website and in the weekly Notes from Grace Dodge Hall e-mails.
• Office hours change every semester and can change periodically, so be sure to check the weekly emails about these changes.
• The PA can assist you with questions about current course offerings and any program or degree requirements.
• The PA can offer advice on your course of study, internships, and academic/professional goals.
• The PA supports the initiation, development, and completion of integrative projects by providing research and writing support to students by holding individual meetings and leading working groups.
• The PA helps coordinate social events and other activities to promote the integration of students and interactions between faculty and students.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KEEP IN MIND?

• Please try to make appointments with the PA during office hours, but if you are unable to make it to those contact your peer advisor directly.
• Please be proactive about asking for support; it is advisable to meet with your PA before meeting your faculty advisor in order to optimize your time with your faculty advisor.
• If you need to cancel/reschedule an appointment with the PA please do so 24 hours in advance.
• Email is the best way to contact the PA. Please allow a 48-hour turnaround for emails. Generally, the PA will only reply to emails between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.

Chris Henderson holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honors in Anthropology from the University of Auckland and a Master of Education with High Distinction from the University of Sydney, where he researched teachers’ work and well-being in Indonesia’s post-disaster settings.    

Chris works at the intersection of policy and practice relating to the professional development and well-being of teachers in crisis and conflict affected contexts, adolescent development, and climate change education. In New Zealand Chris has designed projects on adolescent civic participation for UNICEF and UNESCO, for the World Bank Chris researched and co-authored the Disaster Recovery Guidance Series for the Education Sector, and for the Australian Aid Programme he worked to integrate climate change and disaster risk reduction into the Solomon Islands curriculum. Before joining Teachers’ College, Chris was the Associate Director for International Educational Development at the University of Waikato and most recently he focused on learning continuity and gender equality as a consultant with UNICEF’s Regional Office for South Asia. In 2020, Chris also co-facilitated the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies’ (INEE) Learning Agenda consultations in Bangladesh and he is the co-chair of INEE’s Teachers in Crisis Contexts (TiCC) working group.    

Chris is most interested in the extent to which teachers' identities and experiences inform humanitarian programming and how this corresponds to teacher professional development and well-being outcomes. Regionally, Chris is focused on South and Southeast Asia and the converging crises of climate change, COVID-19, and sectarian conflict.

Darren's research interests are situated in studying the impacts of education and human well-being on climate change. Specifically, how is human behavior and activities, which are seen to be the main cause of climate change, influenced by education and an individual's well-being? He is curious to know more about how localized environmental disasters may influence the importance of education in a national context. Darren is interested in exploring how education can curtail human behaviors that contribute to climate change and, in turn, support countries' sustainable development efforts toward greener economies, political structures and societies. In this area, he helped found the Teachers College Center for Sustainable Futures (https://www.tc.columbia.edu/sustainability/), worked with the New York City Department of Education and the Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education (MECCE) Project.

PEER ADVISORS

Peer Advisors (PAs) are doctoral fellows who support all students. You can contact them in person during office hours (by appointment) or send an email.

WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR PEER ADVISOR?

• The PA is available by appointment weekly and you can find office hours on the program’s website and in the weekly Notes from Grace Dodge Hall e-mails.
• Office hours change every semester and can change periodically, so be sure to check the weekly emails about these changes.
• The PA can assist you with questions about current course offerings and any program or degree requirements.
• The PA can offer advice on your course of study, internships, and academic/professional goals.
• The PA supports the initiation, development, and completion of integrative projects by providing research and writing support to students by holding individual meetings and leading working groups.
• The PA helps coordinate social events and other activities to promote the integration of students and interactions between faculty and students.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KEEP IN MIND?

• Please try to make appointments with the PA during office hours, but if you are unable to make it to those contact your peer advisor directly.
• Please be proactive about asking for support; it is advisable to meet with your PA before meeting your faculty advisor in order to optimize your time with your faculty advisor.
• If you need to cancel/reschedule an appointment with the PA please do so 24 hours in advance.
• Email is the best way to contact the PA. Please allow a 48-hour turnaround for emails. Generally, the PA will only reply to emails between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.

Marcella Winter is a second-year PhD student in International and Comparative Education.  Originally from Brazil, Marcella is happy to be a part of the Teachers College community as a doctoral fellow and CICE editor.

She holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), a Latu Sensu Post-Graduation in Educational Management from Ibmec-SP and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). 

Her research interests include decolonial theories, epistemologies from the South, post-development, feminist perspectives in International and Comparative Education, women's and girls' education, intersectionality between race and sex, race and inequality in Brazilian schools, and topics related to Brazilian and South American educational policies. Marcella believes the enhancement of education in the Global South is crucial for the making of plural, inclusive and less unequal societies. Through her work as a scholar and a researcher, she intends to raise awareness that education cannot be faced as a privilege and high-quality schooling  should not be circumscribed to few. 

CICE JOURNAL EDITOR

The primary responsibility of the Current Issues in Comparative Education (CICE) Journal Editor position is administrative and substantive oversight of the journal.

JOURNAL EDITOR

• Oversee annual recruitment and training of student volunteers as associate editors, web editors, and copy editors.
• Work with CICE editorial team to plan and execute two journal issues per year.
• Work with the TC Office of Student Development to ensure compliance with TC student organization policies and re-certification procedures.
• Address questions concerning and enforce any CICE policies and procedures regarding copyright / reprint permissions, plagiarism, article corrections, and quality issues.
• Consult with and provide ongoing updates about CICE to TC faculty sponsors and the International Advisory Board.
• Organize and teach, in the fall/spring semesters, a practicum for students around a CICE-related issue theme, where students will develop skills in reviewing, editing, and publishing academic material in and around a specific content area relevant to a CICE-related call for papers.