Brief Biography
Cara Morgenson is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Cara holds a Nebraska Professional Teaching Certificate in Secondary English (Gr. 7-12) with a graduate endorsement in English as a Second Language (Gr. PK-12). Cara has experience teaching across K-12, postsecondary, adult education, and international classroom contexts. She currently works full-time as an elementary teacher in Lincoln Public Schools, where she teaches emergent bi/multilingual students served in the English Language Learners (ELL) Program (grades K-5). She has served on numerous curriculum development committees and is an active member of her building's Equity Committee.
As a graduate assistant in TLTE (2018-2020), Cara taught TEAC 331 Schools & Society Recitation; TEAC 317 Teaching Multilingual Learners in Elementary School; and TEAC 413M Teaching Multilingual Learners in Content Areas. She also served as the on-site supervisor of practicum and student teaching field experiences in the areas of English Language Arts (7-12) and English Language Learners (K-12), and served as a co-teacher and curriculum writer for the Family Literacy Program at Belmont Elementary School.
Additional professional leadership and research experiences include:
- U.S. Fulbright Representative, English Teaching Assistantship, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland, 2012-2013.
- High-Needs Professional Development Project Facilitator, National Writing Project and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Lincoln Northeast High School, Apr. 2018-June 2019.
- Team Member/Contracted Employee, Diverse Learner-Ready Teachers (DLRT) Initiative. Nebraska Department of Education, Apr.-Aug. 2019.
- Research Team Member, ICMEE Qualitative Examinations of Teacher Learning-Practice Study, International Consortium for Multilingual Excellence in Education (ICMEE). University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2018-Present.
EDUCATION
Ph.D. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Major Field: Educational Studies. Minor: Women’s & Gender Studies. Certificates: Social Justice and Diversity Education. Specialization: Teaching, Curriculum, & Learning
M.Ed. (2014). Doane University. Major Field: Curriculum & Instruction. Thesis: Examining the effects of motivation, self-efficacy, and engagement on students’ literacy achievement
B.A. (2011). University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Majors: English and Psychology, Minor: Women's & Gender Studies. Honors Thesis: We Shall Rise Refreshed in the Morning: Short Stories.
Research Interests
Multilingual (ESL/ELL) Education; critical theories of education; women's and gender studies; social justice and diversity education.
Publications & Conference Presentations
PEER REVIEWED ARTICLE PUBLICATIONS
Hamann, E. T., & Morgenson, C. (2017). Dispatches from Flyover Country: Four Appraisals of Impacts of Trump’s Immigration Policy on Families, Schools, and Communities. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 48(4): 393-402.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS/VODCASTS
Contributor, Vodcasts for the Great Lakes Equity Assistance Center. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2017-2020. https://greatlakesequity.org/resources
- Vodcast 1: “Teacher Perspectives on Equitable Education for Immigrant Students” (Nov. 2017)
- Vodcast 2: “Teacher Perspectives and Teacher Participation in School Reform for Educational Equity” (Jun. 2018).
- Vodcast 3: "Teacher Perspectives on Supporting Students to Feel Welcome and Safe in Politically and Socially Challenging Times" (Mar. 2020)
Morgenson, C. (2011). “voices, 3:14-3:46[a.m.].” Laurus: 114-120. Creative fiction.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS - Papers presented at the following national and international professional organization meetings:
American Educational Research Association (AERA) (2021)
Curriculum and Pedagogy Annual Conference (2019)
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention (2019)
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) Annual Convention (2019)
American Anthropological Association (AAA) Annual Meeting (2017, 2018)
Foreign Language Opportunities in Writing (FLOW) Conference, University of Łódź, Poland (2013)