Dr. Elisabeth Kutscher

Dr. Elisabeth Kutscher headshot

Dr. Elisabeth Kutscher

Assistant Professor, Special Education and Disability Studies


School: Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Department: Special Education and Disability Studies

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Dr. Elisabeth Kutscher is an Assistant Professor of Special Education and Disability Studies. Her research focuses on cultivating inclusive educational spaces that recognize disability as a dimension of human diversity, using a Critical Disability Studies lens. She values the application of qualitative and mixed methods approaches to understand multifaceted educational experiences.

Dr. Kutscher is currently co-leading a study funded by the Johnson Scholarship Foundation to understand how colleges prepare students with disabilities for employment. Other projects include an investigation of how teachers with disabilities contribute to a diverse teacher workforce and collaborations with researchers in Trinidad and Tobago to understand experiences related to education and disability. She is active within the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) and the Mixed Methods International Research Association (MMIRA).

Prior to moving to the DC area, Dr. Kutscher was a special education teacher and assistant principal in New York City.


Ed.D. in Special Education and Disability Studies, The George Washington University

M.S.Ed. in School Building Leadership, City College of New York

M.A. in Applied Behavior Analysis, Teachers College, Columbia University

B.A. in History and German, St. Olaf College

  •  Transition Special Education
  • Mixed Methods Research
  • Inclusive Education
  • School Building Leadership
  • Applied Behavior Analysis (Board Certified Behavior Analyst)

Kutscher, E. L., Mazzotti, V. L., McDaniel, S. L., Zeng, W., Reardon, K., Bumble, J. L., Voggt, A., & Harris, R. (2024). Mixed Methods Research in Secondary Transition: A Systematic Literature Review. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/21651434241268003 

Raley, S. K., Kutscher, E., Shogren, K. A., Kurth, J. A., & Matusevich, H. A. (2023). Finding Common Ground: Tips to Promote Self-Determination in Inclusive Contexts for High School General and Special Educators. Inclusive Practices2(1), 22–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/27324745221144306

Kutscher, E. L. & Parey, B. (2022). Assessing mixed methods rigour in inclusive education: Applying the Rigorous Mixed Methods Framework.
International Journal of Inclusive Education. Advance Online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2022.2100491 

Walter, H. L., Kutscher, E. L., Fox, H. B., & Tuckwiller, E. D. (2022). A dual factor model of early childhood special educator well-being. Journal of Early
Childhood Teacher Education. Advance Online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2022.2093296 

Kutscher, E. L., & Howard, L. C. (2022). Integration as a process: Applying iterative multiple correspondence analysis to surface dynamic findings. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 16(3), 328-349. https://doi.org/10.1177/15586898211021669 

Lillis, J. M. & Kutscher, E. L. (2022). Defining themselves: Transition coordinators’ conceptions of their roles in schools. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 45(1), 17-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/21651434211010687 

Kim, M. M., & Kutscher, E. L. (2021). College students with disabilities: Factors influencing growth in academic ability and confidence. Research in Higher Education, 62(3), 309-331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-020-09595-8 

Flanagan, M. F., & Kutscher, E. L. (2021). Making the most of community-based instruction: Progress monitoring for strategic decision-making. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 53(5), 376-385. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059920973048 

Fox, H. B., Tuckwiller, E. D., Kutscher, E. L., & Walter, H. L. (2020). What makes teachers well? A mixed methods study of special education teacher well-being. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 9(2), 223-248. https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jise/article/view/2170/1132 

Kutscher, E. L., & Tuckwiller, E. D. (2020). A mixed methods study of K–12 influences on college participation for students with disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 43(2), 101-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165143420905104 

Kutscher, E. L., & Tuckwiller, E. D. (2019). Persistence in higher education for students with disabilities: A mixed systematic review. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 12(2), 136-155. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000088 

Tuckwiller, E. D., Dardick, W. R., & Kutscher, E. L. (2019). A mixed methods investigation of mindset, grit, optimism, and self-determination in adolescents
with learning disabilities and differences. Learning Disabilities: Multidisciplinary Journal, 24(1), 19-31. https://doi.org/10.18666/LDMJ-2019-V24-I1-8849 

Tuckwiller, B. D., Dardick, W. R., & Kutscher, E. L. (2017). Profiles of and correlations among mindset, grit, and optimism in adolescents with learning disabilities: A pilot study. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 6(1), 44-63.

  • November 2024 - Dr. Elisabeth Kutscher presented on "Using AI to Spark Tailored Transition Instruction" at the Division on Career Development and Transition's (DCDT) annual conference in Chantilly, VA. She also co-facilitated a panel on "Intentional Inclusivity: How to Support Disabled and Neurodivergent Transition Practitioners with Disabilities." Following the conference, Dr. Kutscher joined the DCDT president and executive director to offer a session on "Using Technology to Empower Transition Planning: How AI is Being Used by Transition Specialists" at the Council For Exceptional Children's Fall PD Fair."