Education
Ed.D. Education Johns Hopkins University, May 2015
M.Ed. Special Education, University of Maryland, College Park May 2009
B.S Special Education, University of Maryland, College Park May 2001
Sara Hooks
Associate Professor
Areas of Expertise
Early Childhood Education/Special Education Assessment
Family Engagement
Biography
Sara Hooks has been in the Department of Early Childhood Education at Towson University since August of 2015. She teaches courses related to assessment, literacy, and technology and has supervised full-time interns. Dr. Hooks earned her Doctorate in Education from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in 2015. Prior to working in higher education, she spent over ten years working with young children and their families in schools and community-based settings. Her research and service interests focus on preparing teacher candidates to work effectively with students with diverse learning and behavioral needs and to engage families in meaningful ways.
Grants and Awards
Noggle, A. & Hooks, S. Focus on Fatherhood: Engaging Fathers and Father Figures in a Title 1 School. MSDE IHE Discretionary Grant. Principal Investigator: Amy K. Noggle, Co-Principal Investigator: Sara D. Hooks. FY 2019 - 2020. Requested: $30,175.
Noggle, A. & Hooks, S. Supporting and Engaging Fathers of Children in a Title I School: Fathers of Children with Disabilities and Fathers Who Are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse. MSDE IHE Discretionary Grant. Principal Investigator: Amy K. Noggle, Co-Principal Investigator: Sara D. Hooks. FY 2018 - 2019. Funded: $33,476.
Hooks, S. D. & Noggle, A. Communicating Assessment Findings with Families: Effects of Simulated Experiences with Teacher Candidates. France Merrick Scholarship. Principal Investigator: Sara D. Hooks, Co-Principal Investigator: Amy K. Noggle. FY 2019 – 2020. Funded: $2,500.
Hooks, S. D. All Students Can Engage in School from the Start. Maryland State Department of Education Early Learning Challenge: Race to the Top Grant. FY 2014-2015. Funded: $3,500.
Awarded Gloria A. Neubert Excellence in Teaching Award. FY 2015-2016. Award: $200.
Peer Reviewed Publications
Hooks, S. D. & Guerrero, J. (2020). Sparking creativity through a summer literacy program. Ohio Council of Teachers of Language Arts Journal.
Hooks, S. D., Guerrero, J., & Christianson, L. (2019). It takes a village: A clinical approach to training teachers for collaboration. School-University Partnerships 12(1), 70-76.
Hooks, S. D., debettencourt, L. U., & Markelz, A. (2019). The effects of training pre-kindergarten teachers to use self-management strategies to increase Pre-K students’ opportunities to respond. Perspectives in Early Childhood Education, 4(2), 67-94.
Nagro, S. A., Fraser, D., & Hooks, S. D. (2018). Lesson planning with engagement in mind: Proactive classroom management strategies for curriculum instruction. Intervention in School and Clinic.
Nagro, S. A., Hooks, S. D., & Fraser, D. (2018). Over a decade of practice: Are educators correctly using tertiary interventions? Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 63:1, 52-61, DOI: 10.1080/1045988X.2018.1491021
Nagro, S. A., Hooks, S. D., & Fraser, D. (2016). Whole group responding strategies to promote student engagement in inclusive classrooms. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 48(5), 243-249.
Book Chapters
Hooks, S. D., & Guerrero, J. (Prospectus Accepted; Chapter submitted, August 2019). Engaging families in STEM through environmental education. Chapter to appear in Handbook of Research on Building STEM Skills through Environmental Education. IGI Global.
Peer-Reviewed Presentations
Hooks, S. D. (2018, Nov.). Role-play in the university classroom: A practice-based approach to communicating assessment findings with families. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Hooks, S. D., Nagro, S. A., & Fraser, D. F. (2018, Nov.). Overcoming barriers to promote culturally responsive home-school communication in early childhood education/intervention. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
Hooks, S. D. (2017, Nov.). Effective instruction in early childhood education: Evidence from preservice teachers’ lesson plans. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Savannah, GA.
Hooks, S. D., Nagro, S., & Fraser, D. (2017, Nov.). Are educators correctly using tertiary interventions: Results from a pilot study. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Savannah, GA.
Hooks, S. D. (2016, Nov.). Opportunities to respond and students with disabilities: Implications for a universally designed classroom. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Lexington, KY.
Hooks, S. D. (2016, Oct.). How increasing demands for “perfection” in teacher education affect teacher education programs. Paper presented at the Critical Questions in Education Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Hooks, S. D. (2015, Nov). Effects of training pre-kindergarten teachers to use self-management strategies to increase students’ opportunities to respond to literacy prompts. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Tempe, AZ.
Nagro, S., Fraser, D., & Hooks, S. D. (2015, Nov). Benefits and challenges to using low-level, intermediate, and high-level technology innovations in teacher preparation. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Tempe, AZ.
Hooks, S. D. (2015, Apr). Preliminary findings from effects of training pre-kindergarten teachers to use self-management strategies to increase students’ opportunities to respond to literacy prompts. Poster presented at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, San Diego, CA.
Hooks, S. D., Fraser, D., & Nagro, S. (2014, Nov). A decade of practice: Are special educators using research-based tertiary interventions. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division for the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
True, J., Nagro, S., Hooks, S., Larson, K., & Fraser, D. (2014, Nov). Does instructor-pair collaboration improve special education teacher preparation? Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division for the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Hooks, S. D. (2014, Apr). All children can engage in school from the start (ACCESS). Poster presented at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
True, J., Nagro, S., Hooks, S., Larson, K., & Fraser, D. (2014, Apr). Does instructor-pair collaboration improve special education teacher preparation. Poster session presented at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
Nagro, S., Hooks, S. D., & Fraser, D. F. (2013, Nov). Using teacher input to provide school-wide professional development with proactive strategies. Paper presented at the Teacher Education Division for the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Hooks, S.D. (2013, Apr). A comparison of school readiness and 3rd grade reading achievement among student in general education and special education who received early intervention services. Paper presented at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference, San Antonio, TX.
Carran, D. T., J. D., Nunn, J. & Hooks, S. D., & Brigham, F. J. (2013, Feb). Uses of a Statewide Longitudinal Data System to Evaluate and Inform Programs, Policies, and Resource Allocations. Paper presented at the 26th Annual Management Information Systems Conference, Washington, DC.