# Faculty Experts for K-12 Education Reporters As students and teachers return to classrooms this fall, Montclair faculty experts are available to offer commentary on a range of education-related topics including teacher training, student mental health, sex education, use of AI, bullying and more ![Closeup of flowers in front of the Montclair bird statue. ](/sites/default/files/styles/660x400/public/2026-03/101923_15063_Campus-Students.jpg?h=f03d1f75&itok=jX4qV7bN) Montclair State University has several faculty experts available who can speak on issues related to teaching, students and the classroom. Check out our expert guide and contact the Media Relations team to set up an interview. ## Teacher training, teacher shortage, pedagogy, diversity in education [**Mayida Zaal**](/faculty-staff/mayida-zaal "Mayida Zaal") is Associate Professor, Teaching and Learning and co-director of the **Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy** which aims to help build a locally grown, diverse teacher workforce. Zaal’s research focuses on participatory action research (PAR) as a transformative pedagogy and on understanding the lived experiences of immigrant-origin youth. She is particularly interested in the preparation of teachers working in diverse settings. [**Carlos McCray**](/faculty-staff/carlos-mccray "Carlos McCray") is Professor of Educational Leadership at Montclair. His areas of expertise include: urban school leadership, organizational diversity, educational equity, and he has a growing interest in the high attrition rate of urban K-12 students as a result of their multiple suspensions and expulsions. [**Zoe Burkholder**](/faculty-staff/zoe-burkholder "Zoe Burkholder") is Professor of Educational Foundations and founding Director of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education Project. Burkholder is an historian of education with expertise in educational equality in K-12 schools, antiracist education, school desegregation and its history, and the underrepresentation of teachers of color in public schools. ## Comprehensive sex education, community health, COVID-19, student mental health, bullying, health policy, teen smoking [**Lisa Lieberman**](/faculty-staff/lisa-lieberman "Lisa Lieberman"), Professor and Chair in the College for Community Health, is an expert on sex education, tobacco, student health and health policy. Lieberman and fellow Faculty Expert Eva Goldfarb have also partnered on research related to sex education, co-authoring a 2021 study – the first of its kind in the field – that shows comprehensive sex education can prevent child sex abuse and intimate partner violence, increase appreciation for sexual diversity and improve environments for LGBTQ students, among other benefits. [**Stephanie Silvera**](/faculty-staff/stephanie-navarro-silvera "Stephanie Navarro Silvera") is Professor in the Department of Public Health at Montclair State University as well as the Acting Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs in the College for Community Health. Areas of expertise include epidemiology, cancer epidemiology, racial/ethnic disparities in cancer outcomes and COVID-19. [**Jeremy Fox**](/faculty-staff/jeremy-k-fox "Jeremy K Fox") is Associate Professor of Psychology, with expertise in child mental health and a specific focus on anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Topics for commentary include child mental health, childhood anxiety and depression, parenting and childhood behavioral difficulties and cognitive-behavioral therapy. [**Christopher Donoghue**](/faculty-staff/christopher-donoghue "Christopher Donoghue") is Professor of Sociology and editor of *The Sociology of Bullying: Power, Status and Aggression Among Adolescents*. Donoghue’s research and expertise spans the areas of [**adolescent bullying**](/news-media/news-stories/faculty-expert-bullying-explains-different-types-aggression-and-how-schools-should-address-issue "Faculty Expert on Bullying Explains Different Types of Aggression and How Schools Should Address the Issue"), sex education and ethnic and racial prejudice; his work on bullying focuses on the ways that middle school and high school students define the problem and how they cope with it. ## AI in the classroom, adaptive learning, technology in teaching [**Emily Isaacs**](/faculty-staff/emily-isaacs "Emily Isaacs"), Executive Director of the Office of Faculty Excellence and Professor of Writing Studies, focuses on writing pedagogy and assessment, and teaching, learning and administration in higher education. Areas of expertise include teaching and learning, higher education, teaching and technology, teaching writing and assessing learning in higher education. *To set up an interview, please* [***contact the Media Relations team***](/offices-departments-centers/media-relations "Media Relations")*.* Published August 13, 2024 Type [Faculty Voices](/news-media/news-stories?type%5B71%5D=71) Topic - [Education](/news-media/news-stories?topic%5B80%5D=80) ## Contact the Media Relations Team [Media Relations](/offices-departments-centers/media-relations) The Media Relations Office is the official source of information for Montclair State University and is the primary point of contact for members of the media requesting institutional information and/or interviews with faculty, staff and administration. - Elyse Toribio - - Telephone [973-655-4334](tel:973-655-4334) - Andrew Mees - - Telephone [973-655-3101](tel:973-655-3101) ## More News & Stories - ![A photo of Cole Hall at Montclair State University.](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-09/Cole-Hall-082326_262_Around_Campus_Summer-LAROSA.jpg?h=926d89e9&itok=U6pJ2Ln5) Press Release [ Montclair State University Researchers Among First to Study AI's Impact on Character Development of Middle Schoolers](/news-media/news-stories/new-study-ais-impact-youth-character-development) September 8, 2026 - ![Building on campus in summertime.](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-09/082326_262_Around_Campus_Summer-LAROSA.jpg?h=e1bddc72&itok=rRvG9ATr) Front Page News [ 2026 College Rankings: Montclair Ranked No.1 Public School in New Jersey in New Washington Monthly Rankings](/news-media/news-stories/2026-college-rankings-montclair-ranked-no1-public-school-new-jersey-new-washington-monthly-rankings) September 3, 2026 - ![Female student at a table writing down notes in front of a laptop.](/sites/default/files/styles/750x500/public/2026-07/homepage-news-item-template-copy_0.jpg?h=19ad3fdd&itok=RhZnpgFE) Press Release [ Montclair Expands Online Offerings with Five New Programs](/news-media/news-stories/montclair-expands-online-offerings-five-new-programs) June 16, 2026 [All News & Stories](/news-media/news-stories)