Erin FitzPatrick

Profile

Dr. Erin FitzPatrick is an Associate Professor in the Special Education and Child Development Department. She teaches undergraduate literacy courses to pre-service teachers in the Special Education and dual licensure programs. She leverages over a decade of experience in urban, majority-minority, upper elementary classrooms to inform her research in the areas of effective writing interventions and professional development models, all aimed at the goal of improving the writing of young authors.

Dr. FitzPatrick believes that as literacy teachers, if we are not teaching writing, we are doing only half the job. Writing allows students to persuasively advocate for themselves and others, to share their stories in engaging narratives, and to impart their knowledge to the world. Without high-quality writing instruction as an essential part of literacy learning, students are taught to be influenced, but not influential. When this is withheld from students who are otherwise marginalized, it is an injustice to them and a lost growth opportunity for society.

Education

Ph.D. – Georgia State University, 2017, Education of Students with Exceptionalities
M.Ed. – Middle Tennessee State University, 2013, Literacy
Certification – University of St. Thomas, 2002, Elementary Education
B.A. – Illinois College, 1998, History and Political Science

Teaching

Teaching Written Expression to K-12 Learners
Teaching Reading to Elementary Students

Research Interests/Areas of Expertise

Writing
Self-regulated Strategy Development
Practice-based Professional Development
Assessment of Writing
Inclusive Literacy Practices

Awards & Honors

Nominated for Cato College of Education Excellence in Teaching Award
Recognized by 67 graduating seniors as “the person at UNC Charlotte who made the most significant, positive contribution to their education”
Honors College Faculty
Georgia State University Provost’s Dissertation Fellow
Georgia State University Literacy and Language Fellow
Georgia State University Outstanding Doctoral Student in Special Education
Citizen of the Year, M.A. Jones Elementary School

Community Involvement

Vice-Chair, Board of Directors, Telra Institute
Editorial Board: Remedial and Special Education
Editorial Board: Teacher Education and Special Education
Editorial Board: Learning Disabilities Research & Practice
Guest Co-editor of special issue on Self-Regulated Strategy Development: Learning Disabilities Research & Practice
Parent and Student Advocate, IEP and 504 Meetings

Selected Publications

Ray, A. & FitzPatrick, E. (2024). Instructional coaches in elementary settings: Writing the wave to success with Self-Regulated Strategy Development for the informational genre. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/15405826231218251

McKeown, D., Owens, J., Wijekumar, K., Harris, K., Graham, S., Lei, P., & FitzPatrick, E. (2023). Professional development for evidence-based writing instruction: Elevating fourth grade outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2023.102152

Schrodt, K., FitzPatrick, E., Hover, A., Elleman, A., & Brown, M. (2023). Examining the validity of the writing challenge task: An assessment tool for measuring motivation in kindergarteners. Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties, 39,(4), 334-349. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2022.2109227

FitzPatrick, E., Ennis, R. P., & McKeown, D. (2022). Writing instruction for students with disabilities (and other struggling writers): Current research and implications for research and practice. In Lane, K. L., Lemons, C., & Powell, S. (Eds.) Handbook of special education research, Volume II: Research-based practices and intervention innovations. Routledge.

Ray, A. & FitzPatrick, E. (2022). Practice-based professional development for SRSD writing instruction with secondary teachers. Teaching Exceptional Children. https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599221122888

FitzPatrick, E., & McKeown, D. (2021). Writing from multiple source texts: SRSD for fifth grade learners in inclusive settings. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12257

FitzPatrick, E., Schrodt, K. M., Kissel, B., & Gilbert, S. (2021). Writing as capital: The emancipatory act of writing for profit, advocacy, and charity. Teachers College Record, 123(13), 219-246.

McKeown, D., & FitzPatrick, E., Ennis, R., & Sanders, S. (Eds.) (2021). Self-regulated strategy development: A framework for effective instruction across the content areas. [Special issue], Learning Disabilities Research and Practice. https://doi.org/0.1111/ldrp.12256

FitzPatrick, E., & McKeown, D. (2020). Meeting the needs of middle school writers in a special education classroom: SRSD for the informational genre citing text-based evidence. Education and Treatment of Children, 43,71-84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-020-00006-2

FitzPatrick, E., & McKeown, D. (2020). How to use audio feedback to improve students’ writing quality. Teaching Exceptional Children. 53(1), 12-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059920908901

McKeown, D., FitzPatrick, E., Ennis, R., & Potter, A. (2020). Writing is revising: Improving student writing through individualized asynchronous audio feedback. Education and Treatment of Children, 43, 35-48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43494-020-00004-4

McKeown, D. & FitzPatrick, E. (2019). Planning. In S. Graham, C. MacArthur, & M. Hebert (Eds.), Best Practices in Writing Instruction. The Guilford Press.

McKeown, D., FitzPatrick, E., Brown, M., Brindle, M, Owens, J., & Hendrick, R., (2019). Urban teachers’ implementation of SRSD for persuasive writing following practice-based professional development: Positive effects mediated by compromised fidelity. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32, 1483-1506. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-018-9864-3

Schrodt, K.E., Elleman, A., FitzPatrick, E., Hasty, M., Kim, J. Tharp, T., & Rector, H. (2019). An examination of mindset instruction, self-regulation, and writer’s workshop on kindergartener’s writing performance and motivation: A mixed methods study. Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2019.1577778

Philippakos, Z. & FitzPatrick, E. (2018). A proposed tiered model of assessment in writing instruction: Supporting all student-writers. Insights on Learning Disabilities: From Prevailing Theories to Validated Practices, 15(2), 149-173.

Patton-Terry, N., Irving, M., & FitzPatrick, E. (2017). Cultural and linguistic diversity: Issues in education. In R.P. Colarusso, C.M. O’Rourke, & Leontovich, M. (Eds.), Special education for all teachers. Kendall Hunt Publishing.

McKeown, D., FitzPatrick, E., & Sandmel, K. (2014). SRSD in practice: Creating a professional development experience for teachers to meet the writing needs of students with EBD. Behavioral Disorders, 40(1), 15-25. https://doi.org/10.17988/0198-7429-40.1.15