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Christy Tirrell-Corbin

Clinical Professor of Human Development and Executive Director, Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention, University of Maryland-College Park

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About Christy

Tirrell-Corbin is the Executive Director of the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention, as well as the Director of the Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education teacher education program, at the University of Maryland.  Tirrell-Corbin is an award-winning faculty member having been acknowledged for her scholarship, teaching and service. Tirrell-Corbin worked in foster care and adoption in New York City earlier in her career. Tirrell-Corbin views that experience as foundational to her career as a researcher where she focuses on young children at risk due to adversity, specifically those residing in low-resourced communities. Tirrell-Corbin has also worked extensively in Title I (high poverty) schools around issues of race, culture and trauma.  Tirrell-Corbin is the co-Director of the Trauma Sensitive Pedagogy (TSP) project, currently being piloted in a mid-Atlantic elementary school.  Tirrell-Corbin has been the Principal Investigator on numerous early childhood focused grants that include external evaluations, curriculum design and implementation, and trauma informed schools. Tirrell-Corbin's research has been published and presented both nationally and internationally and funded by public, philanthropic and organizational entities. Tirrell-Corbin has also served as a consultant for PBS, National Geographic and Sesame Workshop.

In the News

Interviewed in "The ABCs of Teaching Young Students About Race in School," (with Jon Harper, Mandy Froehlich, Baruti Kafele, and Matthew Kay) BAM! Radio, September 2020.
Interviewed in "Tick-Tock: How Soon Is Too Soon to Talk About “Race” With Students?," (with Jon Harper, Mandy Froehlich, Baruti Kafele, and Matthew Kay) BAM! Radio, September 2020.
Opinion: "Our Research Shows Educators Are Experiencing Trauma During the Pandemic. Here’s How We Can Reduce the Burden," Christy Tirrell-Corbin (with Carlomagno Panlilio), Ed Surge, March 2, 2021.
Opinion: "How to Teach Children About Cultural Awareness and Diversity," Christy Tirrell-Corbin, PBS Kids, August 3, 2015.

Publications

"Critical Issues in Early Childhood Teacher Education" (with E.L. Klein and J. Lieber) (IAP Press, 2020).

Describes implementing a culturally responsive early childhood general/special education teacher preparation program through collaboration and continuous improvement.