Maegan Ruiz
Phd Student
Educational Psychology,
Department of Education,
Washington University in St. Louis
Researching resilience and belonging in school communities
Education
Doctor of Philosophy in Education — Educational Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
August 2021 - Present
Advisors: Andrew Butler, Chris Rozek
Masters of Science in Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
August 2020 - August 2021
Masters of Arts in Teaching — Composition, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
August 2011 - December 2013
Thesis: “The Dilemma of the Language-Minority Student in the Composition Classroom”
Advisors: Jeffrey Galin, Julia Mason, Wendy Hinshaw
Bachelor of Arts in English, Minor in Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
August 2007 - May 2011
Thesis: “An exploration of entrapment as expressed through caged birds in ‘Jane Eyre’ and ‘Villette’”
Advisor: Pamela Gilbert
Research Experience
Researcher & Program Evaluator, Institute for School Partnership, Washington University in St. Louis
January 2022 - Present
Conducted qualitative research to support the evaluation of the partnership between the Transformational Leadership Institute and the Consortium Partnership Network as they provide support to 2 schools with increased autonomy within the St. Louis Public School district
Member, Memory Dynamics Lab, Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Education
August 2021 - Present
Member, Social Emotional Belonging Lab, Washington University in St. Louis, Department of Education
August 2021 - Present
Undergraduate Mentees: John Hanrahan, Mateo Haim, Danika Strayhorn
Member, Data & Impact Team, Blue Engine
August 2021 - Present
Assisted with centralized data collection, management, and visualization for all models and programs across 3 regions and 19 school partners using Tableau, Question Pro, Google Big Query, and Google Drive
Instructional Designer, Blue Engine
July 2020 - August 2021
Execution of needs assessment for Louisiana Department of Education as part of joint project with Blue Engine to develop and disseminate best practices in co-teaching
Administrative Research Assistant, Department of English, Florida Atlantic University
January 2013 - May 2013
Assisted English Graduate Advisor and English Department Head in gathering and organizing data regarding peer universities in order to create a comprehensive chart comparing FAU’s financial obligations to its student employees; responsible for primary research for potential novel
Teaching Experience
Assistant Instructor, Introduction to Educational Psychology (EDU 304)
August 2022 - December 2022
Served as Assistant Instructor to Dr. Christopher Rozek
Instructional Coach/Designer, Blue Engine
July 2020 - August 2021
Designed and managed support model for co-teaching as part of annual Learning Agenda in order to disseminate best practices across multiple schools; designed and managed co-teaching guidance documents and asynchronous learning modules; facilitated virtual professional development for Louisiana Teacher Leaders Summit for groups of 75 instructional leaders across the state; collaboratively designed school-based support model and onboarding for New York City school partners; collaboratively designed and facilitated virtual co-teaching summer series for teams of teachers; led design of application to New York Department of Education for sponsorship as organization providing Continued Teacher and Leader Education; led design of application for Rivet Education’s Professional Learning Partner Guide; collaboratively designed for Gates Foundation Grant
Director of Instruction of Co-Teaching Program, Blue Engine
July 2019 - June 2020
Coached 14 teachers at 4 schools in the Bronx and Queens to to execute effective co-teaching models in service of dramatic impact on student outcomes in secondary mathematics through weekly observations and debriefs; created and executed extensive professional development through onboarding, quarterly stepbacks, and PLCs; provision of training for MAP and mock Regents testing; successfully executed site visits by funders and members of Louisiana Department of Education; codified and designed vision-setting protocol and annual review of school-based support model for school leaders
Director of Special Education and Instructional Coach, St. Louis College Preparatory Academy
August 2017 - June 2019
Supervised 5-7 full-time teachers through weekly meetings, observations, and feedback on plans; designed and delivered professional development related to curriculum, classroom management, Understanding By Design, and IEPs; carried out daily supervision and discipline of students in an administrative capacity; completed cyclical Federal Reporting tasks; developed and implemented district-wide Response to Intervention model
Special Education Coordinator, St. Louis College Preparatory Academy
January 2016 - August 2017
Supervised school psychologist intern; created and implemented compliance structures for initial evaluations, re-evaluations, initial IEPs, annual IEPs, and 504 plans; managed all incoming and outgoing records for students in Special Education; compiled and submitted DESE tiered monitoring reports, then created and implemented corrective action plan to address certain indicators until full compliance was reached
Department Lead and Special Education Teacher, St. Louis College Preparatory Academy
August 2015 - January 2016
Co-taught 5th and 6th grade Math and English/Language Arts courses using push-in model; modified curriculum (lesson plans, assignments, assessments) and provided instruction based on the accommodations and modifications listed in student IEPs; modeled best practices related to instruction and compliance within department
Title I Reading Specialist for 5th through 8th grade, Confluence Academy Old North
August 2014 - August 2015
Co-taught English/Language Arts courses using push-in model and independently managed small groups of students using pull-out model
Graduate Teaching Assistant, Florida Atlantic University
August 2011 - May 2013
Taught English Composition 1 and 2: 2 classes of 22 students each per semester; full classroom autonomy consisting of curriculum development, grading criteria, selection of readings, lesson plan development, incorporation of new technologies, and online research
Summer Reading Teacher, Institute of Reading Development
June 2011 - August 2011, June 2012 - August, June 2013 - August 2013
Taught 5-week-long semesters of intensive reading remediation; 2 semesters of full-time teaching per summer; lesson plan implementation for grades K-12
Peer Reviewer Experience
Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs, Reviewer on Editorial Board
July 2022 - July 2024
Peer-Reviewed Publications
“Adolescent Psychological Resilience during COVID-19” (working title). Ruiz, M., Haim, M., Hanrahan, J., Doom, J. & Rozek, C. (in prep)
August 2023
Academic Publications
“Transformational Leadership Institute: St. Louis Public Schools’ Consortium Partnership Network”. Scheuler, L., & Ruiz, M. (working title; in prep)
August 2022
“Chapter: Self-regulated Learning” in the Research Handbook on Innovations in Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education. Butler, A., Zepeda, C., & Ruiz, M. (working title; in prep)
February 2022
Academic Presentations
“Teacher Conceptualizations of Resilience: Resources & Challenges”. Ruiz, M. & Elkana, M.
July 2022
Invited Talk: St. Louis Public Schools Summer Leadership Institute
“Educator Team Cognition and Dual Cross-functionality: A Literature Review”. Ruiz, M.
April 2022
Poster: Graduate Symposium - Washington University in St. Louis
“Conceptualizations of Resilience: Adolescent Coping During COVID-19". Ruiz, M., Haim, M., Hanrahan, J., Doom, J. & Rozek, C.
April 2022
Poster: Graduate Symposium - Washington University in St. Louis
Awarded 1st Place in Arts & Sciences
“Adolescent Psychological Resilience during COVID-19”. Ruiz, M., Haim, M., Hanrahan, J., Doom, J. & Rozek, C.
April 2022
Poster: Midwestern Psychological Association
“My Academic Profile: The Subaltern in Cyberspace”. Ruiz, M.
February 2013
Invited Talk: University of Florida Writing Program Conference
“Rhetoric of Resistance: the Contact Zone Redefined”. Ruiz, M.
January 2013
Invited Talk: University of Oklahoma Student Association of Graduate English Studies Conference on Dissonant Discourses
Professional Presentations
“Difference-Education Intervention.” Ruiz, M. & Strayhorn, D.
September 2022
Invited Presenter: Washington University in St. Louis, First Year Seminar: Improving Student Success Through Psychological Interventions
“Grad Student Panel: How to Succeed.”
August 2022
Invited Speaker: Washington University in St. Louis Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Orientation
“Coaching for Scale: A Case Study”. Ruiz, M.
June 2021
Invited Seminar: SibMe Better Together Conference
"The Power of Two: Leveraging Co-Teachers to Address Unfinished Learning". Keryc, C., Canada, R., & Ruiz, M.
June 2021
Invited Seminar: Louisiana Teacher Leader Summit
“Foundations of Effective Co-Teaching: Establishing Shared Expectations and Systems During Teacher Orientation”. Keryc, C., Zarmer, J., & Ruiz, M.
March 2021
Invited Seminar: Council for Exceptional Children
“Supporting Students with Special Needs”. Ruiz, M.
November 2020
Invited Speaker: Fontbonne University, Masters’ Program in Social Work
“The Power of Two Four Key Principles for Setting Up a Co-Teaching Environment that works for ALL Students”. Keryc, C., Zarmer, J., & Ruiz, M.
June 2020
Invited Seminar: Louisiana Annual Teacher Leader Summit
“The Basics of Online Special Education Compliance Systems”. Ruiz, M.
August 2018
Invited Seminar: University of Missouri-St. Louis Masters Program in School Psychology
Honors, Memberships & Scholarships
Office of Graduate Studies Advisory Council, Graduate Student Representation
September 2022 - August 2023
Selected to join the council of faculty from across the Arts and Sciences, and the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences, to advise on issues of policy, curriculum, and graduate student life
Graduate Student Senate (GSS), Senator
August 2022 - July 2024
Inducted as senator to represent M.A. and Ph.D. students in the Department of Education at Washington University in St. Louis
American Educational Research Association (AERA), Graduate Student Member
October 2021 - Present
Division A (Administration, Organization & Leadership), Division K (Teaching and teacher Education), SIG 73 (Organizational Theory), and SIG 117 (Stress, Coping, & Resilience)
Midwestern Psychological Association (MPA), Graduate Student Member
October 2021 - Present
Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), Graduate Student Member
October 2021 - Present
Kappa Delta Pi, Member and Technology Specialist
October 2021 - Present
Inducted into Washington University’s chapter of this selective honor society within field of education and participated in service project, "Activating a Multilingual Family Lending Library," as part of grant from WU Women's Society with Ritenour School District
Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity, Graduate Student Affiliate
August 2021 - Present
Inducted into CRE2 at Washington University, which brings the research force of Washington University in St. Louis to study how race and ethnicity are integral to the most complex and challenging issues of our time
SPARK Society, Graduate Student Member
July 2021 - Present
Inducted into the SPARK Society, which works to increase the numbers of Black/African Americans, Latinx, and Native Americans in cognitive psychology, cognitive science, linguistics, and cognitive neuroscience
Graduate Chancellor’s Fellowship, Graduate Fellow
April 2021 - Present
Accepted into cohort of 10 academically excellent graduate students interested in enhancing diversity at Washington University and in the professoriate
Psi Chi, Graduate Student Member
February 2021 - Present
Inducted into selective honor society based on excellence in scholarship and advancement of the field of psychology
Omicron Delta Kappa, Graduate Student Member
December 2020 - Present
Inducted into selective honor society based on academic performance and demonstrated leadership ability
The PhD Project Annual Conference, Selected Attendee
November 2020
Accepted through competitive process to attend the conference designed to increase presence of Black/African-American, Latinx/Hispanic-American and Native American in both the programming and faculty of PhD Business programs
Staff Core Value Award for Excellence
May 2019
Nominated by colleagues at St. Louis College Prep
Staff Core Value Award for Excellence
July 2017
Nominated by colleagues at St. Louis College Prep
Rookie of the Year
July 2016
Nominated by colleagues at St. Louis College Prep
Golden Key International Honor Society, Undergraduate Student Member
September 2012
Performed in top 15% of class to gain admittance to Golden Key, which is built on the pillars of academics, leadership, and service
Research Skills
Quantitative Research
Methods: Complex survey design and analysis
Tools: R, Tableau
Qualitative Research
Methods: Case study
Tools: QuestionPro, Qualtrics