Donald R. McClure, Ph.D.

Donald R. McClure is the Associate Dean for Faculty Development and Student Experience in The School of Education at St. John's University. He also is an Associate Professor of Social Studies Education. He holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education from Michigan State University, an M.Ed. from the University of Notre Dame, and a B.Mus. from Central Michigan University. McClure is a committed educator who served eight years as a K-12 classroom teacher in the United States and Ireland. He has taught undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral-level courses in social studies methods, international and comparative education, and research methods.

At Michigan State University, McClure served as a research assistant on two projects. The first, Learning Science as Inquiry with the Urban Advantage: Formal-Informal Collaborations to Increase Science Literacy and Student Learning (PIs Suzanne Wilson and James Short), was a mixed-methods study funded by the National Science Foundation. It investigated the impact of an in-service science teacher professional development program at The American Museum of Natural History in New York City on science teachers’ classroom practice. The second, Science, Oral Language, and Literacy Development (SOLID) from the Start of School (PIs Tanya Wright and Gina Cervetti) was funded by the Spencer Foundation. For this project, McClure helped conduct a systematic literature review on the vocabulary instruction and text comprehension of young students.

McClure’s current research spans the areas of social studies education and international and comparative education. It is guided by two central questions: (1) How do students understand what it means to be a citizen, both inside and outside of school? and (2) How can teacher education be reformed to support students’ civic development? He has published in journals including Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Sport in Society, Social Education, and The Social Studies. He also has contributed to media outlets such as Education Week and The Academic Minute. He is active in several committees and professional groups on campus and holds membership in the American Educational Research Association, the National Council for the Social Studies, the College and University Faculty Assembly, and the Comparative and International Education Society. He is the recipient of the 2024 Faculty Mentor of the Year Award by St. John's University's Vincentian Institute for Social Action.elementary social studies methods; secondary social studies methods; comparative and international education; research methodssocial studies education; citizenship education; diversity, immigration, and education; comparative and international education; sports and civic development; teacher education

Courses Taught

Select Publications