September 9, 2019
Katherine C. Aquino, Ph.D.
Katherine C. Aquino, Ph.D., comes to St. John's University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Administrative and Instructional Leadership. She holds a B.S. degree in Psychology, a M.A. degree in School Psychology, a Ph.D. in Higher Education Policy, and Advanced Certification in Instructional Design and Delivery.
Dr. Aquino's research interests include the socio-academic transitioning into and within the higher education environment for students with disabilities, first-generation students, and adult learners. She was the coeditor and contributing author of Disability as Diversity in Higher Education: Policies and Practices to Enhance Student Success. She has significant administrative experiences within the postsecondary environment, with a focus on assessment and accreditation. Her research was recently highlighted in The Academic Minute: A WAMC National Production.
With her colleague, Ryan P. Hudes, Ph.D., Dr. Aquino is currently completing a second edited volume, Improving Postsecondary Choice and Pathways: Student Access and College Match. This text explores the various components within the student-college match phenomenon, including mediators, agents, and programs designed to inform K–12 practitioners of pathways and opportunities to assist students in finding complementary postsecondary institutions. The text understands and frames student-college match through the lenses of student choice and fit; although the two concepts are, at times, interpreted as different time points within the student-college match experience, the concepts are intertwined and complementary. This combination of conceptual frameworks present a holistic interpretation of the various aspects and time points included within a students’ match experience. As a whole, this book examines college choice challenges in various student groups and how variation in higher education preparation may impede in students’ best student-college match scenario. This text is designed to consider and investigate the variegated experiences and factors contributing to student-college match.
Throughout Dr. Aquino’s academic and professional work, she remains dedicated to participating in the Catholic postsecondary setting. In addition to earning all of her degrees from Catholic institutions, she makes it a point to actively participate in the work of the Catholic mission. Additionally, Dr. Aquino’s great-aunt, Sr. Elizabeth Syarto, S.C., was a member of the Vincentian Sisters of Charity. Dr. Aquino states, “Coming to St. John’s University is not only an honor for me professionally, but the opportunity allows me to connect to my family’s dedication to the Vincentian heritage.”
Kyle DeMeo Cook, Ph.D.
Kyle DeMeo Cook, Ph.D., comes to St. John’s University as an Assistant Professor in the literacy program in the Department of Education Specialties. She completed her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental and Educational Psychology and M.Ed. in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation from Boston College. She is thrilled to join the faculty of The School of Education, with its strong commitment to social justice.
Prior to joining St. John’s University, she was a Senior Research Associate at the Education Development Center, where she conducted research within researcher-practitioner partnerships through a contract from the US Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. She has extensive experience working with state agencies, school districts, and other local leaders to design, conduct, and disseminate education research that is requested and relevant to policymakers and practitioners. Dr. Cook began her career working for a policy organization that advocated for improving access to high-quality early education experiences. Her combined background in education research and policy drives all of her teaching and research. She is passionate about teaching research methods and supporting educators to design and conduct their own research. Previously, she has taught courses in research methods and child development at Boston College.
Dr. Cook’s research agenda focuses on examining policy-relevant early education issues, such as school readiness, access to early education, the transition to kindergarten, and collaborations between early education and K–12. From 2016 to 2018, Dr. Cook was named a Head Start Research Scholar by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, for her research on coordination efforts between Head Start programs and elementary schools during the transition to school. Her current projects include the development of a new tool to measure parents’ perceptions of access to early education, and an analysis of profiles of kindergarten transition experiences for children in a nationally representative sample.