Teachers College has named Colby Tofel-Grehl its New Vice Dean for Teacher Education and School & Community Partnerships and Associate Professor of Science Education.
In her role as Vice Dean, Tofel-Grehl will provide vision and collaborative leadership for the College’s teacher preparation programs, strengthen and create college-school partnerships, and advance innovation and research in the field of teacher education.
“Among the many attributes that make Colby the right person at the right time for TC are her track record in leading innovative research-practice partnerships, national reputation and extensive network in teacher education, the equity agenda she centers in all her work and her collaborative approach to change,” KerryAnn O’Meara, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost and Dean of the College, wrote in an email announcing the appointment. “Please join me in warmly welcoming Dr. Colby Tofel-Grehl to Teachers College.”
Tofel-Grehl joins the College from the School of Teacher Education & Leadership at Utah State University. As Associate Professor of STEM education, her research interests include investigating the structures, systems and practices that foster inequities across STEM learning environments, and designing teacher professional learning and curriculum development to help facilitate historically underrepresented rural youth within STEM environments.
Driven by a passion for STEM education, Tofel-Grehl is also the founder and director of the CHAOS (Culture, History, and Art Originating in STEM) Learning Lab, a group committed to engaging teachers to integrate Social Studies, Equity, and Civics education with STEM. With her background in teaching kindergarten, elementary school, and high school oceanography, many of her projects center on assisting K-12 teachers in bringing new technology into the classrooms and illuminating K-12 students' interests in STEM.
“Teachers College is the historic epicenter of teacher education in the United States. I am honored to join the rich community of scholars at TC dedicated to ensuring justice centered learning for all students,” expressed Tofel-Grehl. “Now more than ever, TC’s leadership offers a beacon to educators and communities during changing tides. I am especially excited to take on the role of Vice Dean of Teacher Education and Community Partnership because the pairing of these two key foci reflects my own value of learning in partnership with communities.”
Tofel-Grehl’s funded grants exceed $26 million, of which she was the principal investigator of more than $20 million, including a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant and a U.S. Department of Education GEAR-UP grant. Her research and scholarship have been acknowledged through various awards as well, including: the 2019 Award for Significant Contribution to Educational Measurement and Research Methodology from Division D of the American Educational Research Association; the 2020 Early Career Science Teacher Educator of the Year Award from the Association for Science Teacher Educators; and the NSF Exemplar Project Award. Tofel-Grehl is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles, including: Data Science for Equity: Using data science to shift narratives and empower communities; ESTITCH: Elementary STEM Teaching Integrating Technology Holistically; and Awesome Electronics Projects for Kids. She is also the co-editor of the Journal of Science Teacher Education.
She received her B.A. in Anthropology, Archaeology and Primatology from Fordham University and her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia.