- School Governance
- Library Book Challenges
- Speech rights of public school students & teachers
- Policy development and translation processes
Dr. Pamela Callahan is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement. Pamela studies the ways federal and state laws are interpreted and applied at the school and district level, with a special emphasis on the intersection of First Amendment speech protections and public schools. Her research has been published in Theory Into Practice, Education and Urban Society, On Democracy, West's Education Law Reporter, and Action in Teacher Education. Before graduate school, she proudly served as a middle math teacher and department chair in Prince George's County, Maryland. Pamela earned degrees from the University of Maryland, College Park (Ph.D.), Johns Hopkins University (M.S.Ed), George Mason University (M.P.P), and the University of Pittsburgh (B.S.B.A).
Eubanks, S., Goldson, M., & Callahan, P. (2024). Replace or repair: Exploring possible methods for improving school governance. Theory Into Practice.
Callahan, P. & Brantlinger, A. (2022). Altruism, Jobs, and Alternative Certification: Mathematics Teachers’ Reasons for Entry and Their Retention. Education & Urban Society.
Dhingra, N., Callahan, P., & Miller, J. (2022). The Changing Shape of In Loco Parentis in Student Speech Cases. Education Law Reporter.
Siegel-Stechler, K. & Callahan, P. (2021). Sensible or stifled: What public-school teachers know about their First Amendment speech protections in the classroom. Action in Teacher Education. doi.org/10.1080/01626620.2021.1997833
Callahan, P., & Miller, J. (2020). Does Pico Still Go to School? Book Challenges and Diverse Classroom Libraries. Education Law Reporter, 378(1), 1–12.
Callahan, P. (2019). Reply: A Response to Cultivating Reasonableness in Future Citizens. On Education. Journal for Research and Debate, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.17899/on_ed.2018.1.14
Citation: Ford, W. (2024, April 11). Academia willing to help with blueprint education reform plan. Maryland Matters.
“The teacher career ladder is one of the scariest components of the Blueprint because it has the possibility to transform teaching,” Pamela Callahan, a co-author of the document who received her doctorate in January on education policy, said in an interview Wednesday at the University of Maryland. “It also has the possibility to transform the profession into something where teachers are growing both in their responsibility and their autonomy.”
Reprinted by The Southern Maryland Chronicle & MoCo360
Citation: Mullings, N. (2023, October 2). 5 Tips for Responding to Book Challenges. Maryland Today. 2024, https://today.umd.edu/5-tips-for-responding-to-book-challenges
One of the single most important things a parent or community member can do during a book challenge is to read the book,” Callahan said. “You’ll have first-hand knowledge about the book’s content and context and whether the premise for the book challenge is warranted.”
“It's important for students to explore diverse ideas and see a variety of characters and topics in their reading material. We need to be prepared to have conversations that may be uncomfortable but that help young people understand a complicated world,” said Callahan. “Yet there are times when you want a book challenge process and possible removal. For example, if I saw 'Fifty Shades of Grey’ in my niece’s elementary school library, I would be thankful for the opportunity to raise a concern.”