WESTERVILLE, Ohio — The National Middle School Association, the nation’s largest organization focused solely on middle grades education, welcomes Mercer University’s Dr. Karen Weller Swanson as the next editor of Research in Middle Level Education Online. Dr. Swanson will serve as associate editor during the first year, working closely during the transition with current editor, Dr. Micki Caskey of Portland State University (Ore.), before assuming the role of editor-in-chief. The RMLE Online editorship is a five-year term.
Dr. Swanson is currently an associate professor teaching doctoral research methods for the Mercer’s Tift College of Education on the University’s Atlanta campus.
“The selection of Dr. Swanson to the editorship of RMLE Online reflects Karen’s level of scholarship and significant contributions to the profession,” said Dr. Carl Martray, dean, Tift College of Education. “We in Tift College of Education at Mercer University are in support of Dr. Swanson’s efforts and those of National Middle School Association.”
Dr. Swanson has been involved with NMSA since 1992, serving as a reviewer for Middle School Journal, a session reviewer and presenter at several conferences, the writer of a research summary on block scheduling and a member of the curriculum committee. She brings a strong research background to RMLE Online, with research encompassing transformative education, teacher professional development, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Serving as RMLE Online editor is a culmination of Swanson’s love for research, teachers and middle grades students.
“The goal of RMLE Online is to make current middle grades research available to both practitioners and higher education faculty,” Dr. Swanson said. “The nexus of theory and practice is a continuous goal. My intention is to create spaces for dialogue between the authors and readers each month.”
Dr. Swanson was named a 2010 Carnegie Academy of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Scholar. Dr. Swanson was previously a middle school science teacher at Mount Elden Middle School in Flagstaff, Ariz. She earned and bachelor’s degree in biology, her master’s in secondary education and her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Northern Arizona University. Her publications include book chapters on blended learning, self-assessment, collaborative teaching, and transformative learning. Dr. Swanson’s peer-reviewed journal articles have been published in the Journal for the Practical Application of Constructivist Theory in Education, Journal of Educational Technology and Society, Studying Teacher Education and Childhood Education.
About National Middle School Association:
National Middle School Association (NMSA) is the largest professional organization serving educators and parents who work with 10- to 15 year-olds. NMSA’s membership represents 180,000 teachers, principals, school administrators, parents, and others who work with this age group.
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