College of Education & Human Services

Jennifer McKenzie, Ph.D.

Jennifer McKenzie, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Special Education

Department: School of Education
Room: Horrabin Hall 115F
Academic Programs: Undergraduate and Graduate Special Education
Research Areas: Trauma-informed classroom management practices, teacher working conditions, teacher shortages
Phone: 309-298-1690
Email: JM-Mckenzie@wiu.edu

Resume/CV

About Me

Dr. Jennifer McKenzie is a lifelong special educator who finds joy in working with teachers. Over her career she has been a special education teacher, special education director, state contracted compliance consultant, and professor. She has a passion for the education of students who exhibit challenging behaviors and aims to assist teachers to better meet the needs of these students. She believes that lack of training in behavior management is a top reason why teachers leave the field, so she has dedicated her efforts to supporting teachers to remain in the classroom. Dr. McKenzie's expertise also includes trauma-informed classroom management strategies and special education law. She has a love for advocacy in special education and believes that all teachers should learn and practice advocacy skills, both for their students and themselves as teachers.

In her free time, Dr. McKenzie enjoys camping, hiking, and fishing. She aspires to be fit and healthy and participates in Crossfit as an athlete and L1 coach. She is married and has two adult sons, and one dog. 

Education:
Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education - Behavioral Disorders
University of Missouri		 2016
Master of Arts in Secondary Administration
William Woods University		 2006
B.S. Elementary and Special Education
Culver-Stockton College		 1998
Awards:

The Society of Professors of Education Honorable Mention – Outstanding Book Award (Spring 2023) for Children and trauma: Critical perspectives for meeting the needs of diverse educational communities.

Research and Publications

  • Kramer, B. & McKenzie, J. (Eds.). (2022). Children and trauma: Critical perspectives for meeting the needs of diverse educational communities. Myers Education Press. https://myersedpress.presswarehouse.com/browse/book/9781975503437/Children-and-Trauma
  • Rodari-Meisner, J. & McKenzie, J. (2022). Teacher perceptions of self-efficacy in teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Athens Journal of Education 10(1), 49-66. https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.10-1-3
  • Green, A. L., McKenzie, J., Lewis, T. J., & Poch, A. L. (2020). From NCLB to ESSA: Implications for teacher preparation and policy. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044207320945397
  • McKenzie, J. & Green, A. (2019). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: The further marginalization of racially and ethnically diverse students for more than 40 years. In Conchas, Hinga, Abad, & Gutierrez (ED.) Complex Web of Inequality in North American Schools: Investigating Educational Policies for Social Justice. New York: Routledge.
  • Green, A., McKenzie, J., & Stormont, M. (2018). Prevention of behavior problems through increasing culturally responsive pedagogy in early childhood settings. Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education, 3(1).
  • Peeples, K., Hirsch, S., Gardner, S., Keeley, R., Sherrow, B., McKenzie, J., Randall, K., Romig, J., Kennedy, M. (2018). Using multimedia instruction and performance feedback to improve pre-service teachers’ vocabulary instruction. Teacher Education and Special Education, 42(3), 227-245. https://doi.org/10.1177/0888406418801913
  • Billingsley, G., McKenzie, J., & Scheuerman, B. (2018). The effects of a structured classroom management system in secondary resource classrooms. Exceptionality, 28(5), 317-332. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2018.1522257
  • Green, A., McKenzie, J., & Rose, C. Absence of color: How preparation programs for teachers and school leaders are sustaining racism. (2016). In V. Stead (Ed.) Equity in Higher Education Theory, Policy, and Praxis: RIP Jim Crow: Fighting Racism through Higher Education Policy, Curriculum, and Cultural Interventions (Vol. 6, pp. 63-75). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
  • Lewis, T.J., Mitchell, B.S., Harvey, K., Green, A., & McKenzie, J. (2015). A comparison of functional behavioral assessment and functional analysis methodology among students with mild disabilities. Behavioral Disorders, 41(1), 5-20.