Dr. Shaheen Munir-McHill, associate professor of practice and the coordinator of Special Education K-12 license and endorsement programs, has been named 2025 College of Education Researcher of the Year at Portland State University (PSU).
Since joining PSU in 2016, Munir-McHill has been a vital member of the Special Education department, contributing in countless ways to its growth, academic rigor and student success. This award recognizes not just a single research achievement, but the breadth and depth of her work — advancing the field, mentoring students and supporting colleagues. Words like passionate, innovative, dedicated and loyal are often used by her peers to describe her.
“Shaheen listens thoughtfully, collects data and freely shares her expertise in supervision and course development with adjuncts, faculty and staff,” said Tiffany Jones, Special Education associate professor of practice, who nominated Munir-McHill for the award. “Our department wouldn't be the same in so many ways without her.”
Munir-McHill holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s in special education and a doctorate in school psychology. Her professional background includes roles as an elementary resource teacher, school psychologist, DIBELS mentor, reading interventionist, student teaching coach and coordinator of a reading intervention clinic.
Her research focuses on literacy and diagnostic assessment, particularly in early reading. She develops and applies tools that help educators understand how young children learn, and explores how assessment data can guide effective classroom support. Her work also contributes to implementing structured systems that ensure all students receive the right level of instruction and intervention when they need it.
As an advocate for equity and innovation in teacher preparation, Munir-McHill has led the development of PSU’s undergraduate Special Education licensure program and made the Special Education endorsement more accessible for working teachers by shifting classes to online and weekend formats. In her role as an Equity Council member with Decoding Dyslexia Oregon, she contributes statewide leadership in literacy, access and inclusion.
Her commitment to advancing early literacy extends to her collaborative work on research projects and grant initiatives across departments. She is a key member of the Diverse Inclusive Collaborative Educators (DICE PLUSS) grant team — a five-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The initiative focuses on preparing diverse special education teachers to support multilingual learners and students with disabilities through evidence-based literacy instruction and interventions. DICE PLUSS also emphasizes culturally responsive practices and inclusive classroom environments.
In summer 2024, Munir-McHill developed and piloted an expanded summer practicum course for PSU special education teacher candidates. In partnership with DICE PLUSS, Metzger Elementary and the Tigard-Tualatin School District, the practicum addressed growing student needs in math and reading while providing aspiring teachers with meaningful, hands-on classroom experience.
Her leadership is also central to PSU’s participation in a transformative teacher preparation initiative funded by a three-year $300,000 US PREP grant funded by the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The US PREP Coalition supports colleges of education nationwide in innovating clinical practices and preparing teachers to meet the diverse needs of K-12 students.
“Shaheen has led the entire Special Education department in innovating the supervision of our teacher candidates through the US Prep program, working closely with Ashley and the Texas US PREP team,” said Jones.
As the Special Education Department’s representative on the leadership team, she’s played a key role in curriculum redesign and in strategically coordinating student teaching placements with the Tigard-Tualatin School District. These efforts reflect a broader goal: building sustainable, high-quality partnerships between the university and K-12 districts to prepare the next generation of teachers and improve outcomes for all students.
Colleagues note that Munir-McHill consistently brings a balance of care and excellence to her work — providing a listening ear and support to faculty, and delivering rigorous instruction and mentorship to teacher candidates in her areas of expertise: literacy and diagnostic assessment.
“What a tremendous honor!” Munir-McHill said of receiving this award. “It is a privilege to be able to support research efforts that substantively impact the student experience.”
PSU’s annual research awards recognize the exceptional work of faculty and staff who excel in research, scholarship and creative endeavors — and who demonstrate outstanding commitment to their students.
“As a teaching faculty member, my work is focused on bringing the outstanding scholarly work that is done across the College to our students and helping them see themselves as scientists,” Munir-McHill said, adding, “Throughout their teacher preparation programs, they are engaged in an ongoing cycle of hypothesis testing, and seeing them make the connection between their work with students and the research they learn about in coursework is what makes this work so rewarding.”
PSU will celebrate this year’s awardees at the Research Awards Ceremony & Reception at the close of Research Week on Friday, May 9. All PSU faculty, staff and graduate students are welcome to attend.