Nanette S. Fritschmann, PhD

Affliations: 

• Senior Associate Researcher, KU Center for Research on Learning

Background and Interests:
First and foremost, like many of my fellow educators, I feel a deep desire to use my gifts and talents to serve those who are in need. I believe this desire grows out of many of my personal life experiences. For example, as a young person, I was drawn to volunteer at a therapeutic equine program that served people of various cognitive and physical disabilities. From a young age, I got a sense of the tremendous determination of people with disabilities, and I learned that, with the right support, all things are possible. I became a teacher of students with disabilities in various settings and realized that although many positive things were happening in our classrooms, there were other things that could be better. My work focused on students with learning disabilities and those who were at risk for academic failure which often included students representing minority populations and/or students who were English language learners. I began to develop a desire to address instructional issues within our secondary schools that were becoming more apparent as our educational environments have continued to shift. After becoming a mother, my desire to impact the academic experience of youths in a positive way has become the focus of my life’s work. I am committed to helping those who need it the most.