University Directory

Aubrey H. Wang, PhD

Professor of Educational Leadership and Director of Office of Teaching & Learning

Department

Educational Leadership and Human Services

Office of Teaching & Learning

Office

Merion 266

Phone

610-660-3186

Contact

Dr. Aubrey H. Wang is Director of the Office of Teaching & Learning and an award-winning Professor of Educational Leadership. Before becoming the director of the Office of Teaching & Learning, Dr. Wang directed two leadership programs at SJU—the Master’s Program in Organization Development and Leadership and the Interdisciplinary Doctorate of Education Program for Educational Leaders. She also served as a College Council Chair of the School of Health Studies and Education. Dr. Wang received her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was awarded the Ethel and Allen “Buddy” Carruth Sustained Leadership in Education Award.

At SJU, Dr. Wang received the Patricia Leahy Award for Learning Innovations and the Faculty Research Merit Award. Her current research and teaching interests focus on innovations in leadership education. Her recent co-edited book, Intersectionality and Leading Social Change in Education: Professional Learning to Transform Self, Others, and the Field, won the 2025 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Honorable Mention. This book included chapters from five alumni of the Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Leadership (IDEPEL) program: Khadijah Bright, EdD '15, Anh Nguyen, EdD '21, Nicole Patterson, EdD '22, Yonaira Rodriguez, EdD '21, and Jabari Whitehead, MEd '05, EdD '17.

Dr. Wang volunteers on several boards, including the Board of Directors of Young Scholars Charter School, the Editorial Board of the Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, and the Scholar-Practitioner Research Collaborative Advisory Board.

- University of Pennsylvania: PhD in Policy Research, Evaluation and Measurement
- University of Pennsylvania: MS in Higher Education
- New York University: BS in Business Management
- Saint Joseph’s University: Interim Director, Office of Teaching and Learning (2024-present)
- Saint Joseph’s University: Co-Director, Office of Teaching and Learning (2022-2024)
- Saint Joseph’s University: Chair, College Council Executive Committee, School of Health Studies and Education (2021-2022)
- Saint Joseph’s University: Graduate Program Director, Organization Development and Leadership (2020-2021)
- Saint Joseph’s University: Professor (2020–Present)
- Saint Joseph's University: Chair, Institutional Review Board (2017-present)
- Saint Joseph’s University: Director of Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Program for Educational Leaders (2014-2018)
- Saint Joseph’s University: Associate Professor (2013–2020)
- Saint Joseph’s University: Assistant Professor (2007-2012)
- School District of Philadelphia: Policy and Evaluation Analyst (2005-2007)
- Educational Testing Service: Associate Research Scientist (2001-2005)
Selected Journal Publications
- Wang, A. H., & Grogan, M. (Eds.). (July, 2024). Intersectionality and leading social change in education: Professional Learning to Transform Self, Others, and the Field. New York: Routledge.
- Grogan, M., & Wang, A. H. (July, 2024). Introduction: Leading social change from the lived experience of intersectionality. In A. H. Wang and M. Grogan (Eds). Intersectionality and leading social change in education: Professional Learning to Transform Self, Others, and the Field (pp. 1 to 17). New York: Routledge.
- Wang, A. H., & Grogan, M. (July, 2024). A critically self-reflexive model for leader professional development: centering intersectionality. In A. H. Wang and M. Grogan (Eds). Intersectionality and leading social change in education: Professional Learning to Transform Self, Others, and the Field (pp. 112 to 127). New York: Routledge.
- Patterson, N.* & Wang, A. H. (2023) Leading urban school teachers of Black and Brown students during social injustice and the pandemic, School Leadership & Management, DOI: 10.1080/13632434.2023.2271515
- Moran, K.K., Sheppard, M.E. and Wang, A. (2023), "Whole-institution approach to social justice education for preservice teachers", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-02-2023-0048
- Avitabile, M. C.*, & Wang, A. H. (2022). A call to action: Redesign district role in preparing STEM teachers for the next generation of STEM education. In P. M. Jenlink (Ed.), STEM Teacher Preparation and Practice for the 21st Century: Research-based Insights (pp. 227-245). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
- Wang, A. H., Menon, S., & Ghadge, N.* (2022). Re-imagining STEM education framework through an emerging synthesis. In P. M. Jenlink (Ed.), STEM Teacher Preparation and Practice for the 21st Century: Research-based Insights (pp.93-112). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. Interactive presentation, https://indd.adobe.com/view/6a486cc1-fcff-482a-a44d-acfc51daf0dd
- Miller-Cotto, D., Smith, L. V., Wang, A. H., & Ribner, A. D. (2021). Changing the conversation: A culturally responsive perspective on executive functions, minoritized children and their families. Infant and Child Development, e2286. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/icd.2286
- Wang, A. H. (2021). Becoming a conscious Chinese American researcher: An application of the testimonio methodology. Special Issue on “Dismantling Systems of Racism Against Asians and Asian-Americans,” Educational Research and Development Journal, 42(2), 1-9. https://www.viethconsulting.com/members/proposals/view_file.php?md=VIEW&file_id=2270155
- Byrnes, J. P., Wang, A. H., & Miller-Cotto, D. (2019). Children as mediators of their own cognitive development in kindergarten. Cognitive Development, 50, 80-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cogdev.2019.03.003.
- Wang, A. H., & Fitzpatrick, C. (2019). Which early childhood experiences and skills predict kindergarteners’ working memory? Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 40(1), 40-48. https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00004703-201901000-00005 Video Abstract link
- Byrnes, J. P., Miller-Cotto, D., & Wang, A. H. (2018). Children as mediators of their own cognitive development: The case of learning science in kindergarten and first grade. Journal of Cognition and Development, 19(3), 248-277. https://doi.org/10.1080/15248372.2018.1470975
- Wang, A. H., & Byrnes, J. (January, 2018). Making connections to realize potential in early childhood mathematics (pp. 213-238). In V. Kinnear, M. Y. Lai, & T. Muir (Eds.), Forging Connections in Early Mathematics Teaching and Learning. New York, NY: Springer Publishing. https://www.springer.com/us/book/9789811071515
- Lore, M. D.*, Wang, A. H., & Buckely, T. * (2016). Effectiveness of a parent-child home numeracy intervention on urban Catholic first graders. Journal of Catholic Education, 19(3), 142-165. http://dx.doi.org/10.15365/joce.1903082016.
- Wang, A. H., Firmender, J. M., Power, J. R.*, & Byrnes, J. P. (2016). Understanding the characteristics and effects of school-based early mathematics learning opportunities in early childhood settings: A meta-analytic review. Early Education and Development, 27(5), 692-713. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.1116343.
- Wang, A. H., Kong, A., & Farren, Sr., T.* (2014). What learning environment factors motivate non-heritage language learners in middle grades to learn Chinese? Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 11(2), 312-326. http://e-flt.nus.edu.sg/v11n22014/wang.pdf
- Wang, A. H., Shen, F., & Byrnes, J. (2013). Does the opportunity-propensity framework predict early mathematics skills for low-income pre-kindergarten children? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 38, 259-270. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2013.04.004
- Wang, A. H., Walters, A., & Thum, Y. M. (2013). Identifying highly effective urban schools: Comparing two measures of school success. International Journal of Educational Management, 27(5), 517-540. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513541311329878
- Terosky, A. L., Wang, A. H., Berenato, C., & Rodriquez, E. (2012). Sitting in the director’s chair: One university’s response to media representation of education. Scholar-Practitioner Quarterly, 6(1-2), 51-64.
- Wang, A. H. (2010). Motivating U. S. Students to learn Chinese as a second language: Understanding the interactions between motivation, ethnicity, and teaching strategies. In J. Cai, J. Chen, & C. Wang (Eds.), Teaching and learning Chinese: Issues and perspectives (pp. 117-135). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Teaching-and-Learning-Chinese
- Wang, A. H. (2010). Optimizing early mathematics experiences for children from low-income families: A study on opportunity to learn. Early Childhood Education Journal, 37(4), 295-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10643-009-0353-9
Book Chapters in Edited Books
- Wang, A. H., & Byrnes, J. (January, 2018). Making connections to realize potential in early childhood mathematics. In V. Kinnear, M. Y. Lai, & T. Muir (Eds.), Forging Connections in Early Mathematics Teaching and Learning. New York, NY: Springer Publishing. https://www.springer.com/us/book/9789811071515
- Wang, A. H. (2010). Motivating U. S. Students to learn Chinese as a second language: Understanding the interactions between motivation, ethnicity, and teaching strategies. In J. Cai, J. Chen, & C. Wang (Eds.), Teaching and learning Chinese: Issues and perspectives (pp. 117-135). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing. http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Teaching-and-Learning-Chinese
- Nominated for the 2025 Society of Professors of Education Book Award, Society of Professors of Education
- Patricia Leahy Award for Learning Innovations, Saint Joseph's University, May 2024
- Teaching Innovation Grant, Saint Joseph's University, May 2022, $1200
- Morris Grant, Saint Joseph's University, June 2021, $1200
- Summer Research Grant, Saint Joseph's University, Summer 2020, $6000
- Ethel and Allen "Buddy" Carruth Sustained Leadership in Education Award, University of Pennsylvania, 2019
- Merit Research Award, Saint Joseph's University, 2018.
- Sabbatical Research Grant, Saint Joseph's University, Spring 2016
- Summer Research Grant, Saint Joseph's University, Summer 2013, $8,000
- Research Grant, American Educational Research Association (AERA), 2011-2013, $34,076
- Curriculum Course Development Grant, Saint Joseph's University, 2009, $4,000
- Summer Research Grant, Saint Joseph's University, 2008, $8,000