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.

Education

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

Programs

Doctorate in Special Education

Master's in Interdisciplinary Secondary Transition Services

Graduate Certificate in Secondary Transition Leadership

Expertise

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

Publications

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 Practices, 2(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.