Andrea Harkins-Brown, EdD is an Assistant Research Scientist and the Program Director for Disability Policy and Systems Change at the Center for Technology in Education (CTE) in the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, she served as the Graduate Program Director and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at Towson University. She began her career as a special educator and later worked as a central office administrator, providing district-wide support in special education.
Andrea’s areas of expertise include inclusive education, teacher preparation, technology integration, assistive technology, Universal Design for Learning, and systems-level implementation of evidence-based practices. Her research focuses on improving educational opportunities for students with disabilities through applied scholarship in special education, educator professional development, and the use of technology to support teaching and learning. She has led state- and foundation-funded research projects aimed at strengthening educator competencies and improving outcomes for diverse learners. Her work has been funded by The Longwood Foundation, the Delaware Department of Education, the Maryland State Department of Education, and the Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Andrea’s research has been published in Teaching Exceptional Children, Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, Journal of Educational Computing Research, Journal of Special Education, School-University Partnerships, and Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education. In addition to peer-reviewed scholarship, she contributes to the field through policy briefs, implementation tools, and professional learning resources developed in collaboration with local and state education agencies.
Andrea currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education and presents regularly at national and international conferences.
She holds a BS in Special Education from Towson University, an MEd in Special Education from Johns Hopkins University, a post-baccalaureate certificate in Educational Administration from Goucher College, and an EdD in Instructional Technology from Towson University.
Keywords: Special education; teacher preparation; technology integration; systems change; assistive technology; Universal Design for Learning; professional learning
