Carla Finkelstein

Biography

For over 20 years, Carla Finkelstein worked as an elementary and secondary teacher, staff developer, and literacy coach, primarily in Baltimore City Public Schools. With teacher colleagues, she founded the Green School of Baltimore, a public charter school that emphasizes experiential, environmental education; responsive classrooms; reading and writing workshop; and continued learning opportunities for teachers. More recently, Carla served as Director of Bard College's MAT program in California, a residency-based teacher preparation program co-located on the campus of a public secondary school in the rural Central Valley. Carla's research focuses on teacher professional development (PD) as a lever for urban systemic reform and on PD models that minimize teacher resistance to change and leverage engagement in learning opportunities. She has a B.A. from Yale College, Ed.M. from Harvard, and Ph.D. from University of Maryland, College Park. Carla joined TU's Department of Instructional Leadership and Professional Development as an assistant professor in 2014. She teaches courses in Leadership, Clinical Supervision, and Professional Development.

Selected Publications

• Finkelstein, C., Conley, B., Francois, C., Koh, P., LeNiles, K., & Shiller, J. (2025). A 
  collaborative faculty approach to conceptualizing and implementing equity-centered leadership preparation. Urban Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-025-00736-w 
• Moody, S.M., & Finkelstein, C. (2024). Using avatar rehearsals to practice eliciting student thinking with preservice teachers. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2024.2381230 
• Finkelstein, C., Jin, L., Liwanag, P., Lottero-Perdue, P., McQuitty, V., Monacelli, S., Moody, S., Mullen, L. (2024). A collaborative faculty approach to Practice-Based Teacher Education. in B. Butler & S. Bullock, Eds. Understanding a pedagogy of teacher education: Contexts for teaching and learning about your educational practice. Routledge.
• Finkelstein, C. (2019) “Doing our part”: Trust and relational dynamics in literacy coaching.  Literacy Research and Instruction, 58(4), 317-337. 
• Finkelstein, C., Jaber, L.Z., & Dini, V. (2019). “Do I feel threatened? No… I’m learning!” Affective and relational dynamics in science PD. Science Education, 103(2), 338-361.
• Laster, B., & Finkelstein, C. (2017). Professional learning for educators focused on reading comprehension: A historical perspective. Handbook of research on reading comprehension. New York, NY: Guilford Press.
• Valli, L., & Finkelstein, C. (2013). School reform. In J. A. C. Hattie and E. M. Anderman (Eds.), International Guide to Student Achievement (pp. 263-265). New York: Routledge.
• Finkelstein, C., & Weller, D. (2011). From “adding inquiry” to “doing science”: Embracing the tensions in teaching inquiry-based science. Science and Children, 48(7), 49-53.

Selected Presentations

• Jaber, L.Z., Finkelstein, C., Davidson, S.G., & Metcalf, A. (April 2025). The role of a professional learning community for STEM teacher educators [Poster presentation]. American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Denver, Colorado.
• Davidson, S.G., Jaber, L.Z., Metcalf, A., & Finkelstein, C. (March 2025). Power, positionality, and educational justice: Teacher educators grappling with tensions inherent in listening [Paper presentation]. National Association for Research in Science Teaching Annual Conference, Washington, DC.
• Finkelstein, C., LeNiles, K., & Koh, P. (October 2024). Conducting equity-oriented listening sessions with school and community stakeholders [Workshop]. Maryland Cultural Proficiency Conference, Baltimore, MD.
• Finkelstein, C., Jaber, L. Z., Davidson, S. G., & Metcalf, A. (April 2023). “I do hear what you’re saying” - Teacher educators' responsiveness in moments of resistance and vexation [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois. 
• Jaber, L. Z., Finkelstein, C., Davidson, S. G., & Metcalf, A. (April 2023). “Oh my god this is the worst!”: Attending and responding to preservice teachers' affect. In Affect and sensemaking in STEM teacher learning: Toward ecologically valid theories of teacher learning [Symposium]. American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois.  

Grants and Contracts

• "Equity-Centered Principal Pipeline Initiative" (2021-2026). Wallace Foundation Grant in partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools, Morgan State University and MSDE. PI for Towson University, $1.9M.

Professional Service

• Board of Trustees, Baltimore School for the Arts
• American Educational Research Association, Member 
• University Council for Educational Administration, Member
• Reviewer for Journal of Teacher Education, Teachers College Record, Teaching and Teacher Education, Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching