Degrees
B.A., Loyola University of Chicago
M. of Education Admin./ Multicultrual Education, University of Hawaii-Monoa
Ph.D of Philosophy in Education, Claremont Graduate University/ San Diego State University
Post-Doctoral, Harvard University
Biography
Dr. Gillian Stewart-Wells, PhD started her educational career as a teachers' aide in Illinois. Quickly noticing a distinction between tools provided for teachers within affluent schools and those who teach in high poverty areas, Dr. Wells opted for graduate studies focusing on cultural differences. While completing her Master's in Education Administration at the University of Hawaii, Dr. Wells taught at the middle school, high school, and university levels; later she became both a high school Dean of Students and a Mentor of New Teachers district- wide. In 1993, Dr. Wells founded The Right Direction with the goal of nurturing new teachers, allowing them to remain in the profession they had chosen.
In the mid-1990s, Dr. Stewart-Wells returned to the contiguous United States to pursue her doctorate in Teacher Education, again with an emphasis on Social Policy & Cultural Issues, at Claremont Graduate University in Southern California. Concurrent with her academic studies, she continued with her research on teacher best practices as well as teaching at the university level. She earned her PhD in 1999; her doctoral dissertation pertaining to Classroom Management Efficacy in Teacher Education Programs was published later that year.
Dr. Stewart-Wells completed post-doctoral work at Harvard University where she piloted a study on New Teacher Mentoring and effective models of instruction in the classroom. She has worked tirelessly as an advocate for new teachers, primarily in high poverty areas and has published and/or presented numerous education articles. Her list of Professional Developments includes Classroom Management, Multicultural Policies and Subject Integration, Legal Issues in the Classrooms, Curriculum Planning and Design, Differentiated Instruction, Inclusive Classrooms, Religiosity in the Classroom, Cross-curricular Integration, Cross-curricular Writing, Critical Thinking, among others.
In addition to relishing her role as a teacher educator at Judson University, Dr. Stewart-Wells enjoys active involvement in her church, reading, writing, fitness, traveling, and spending time with her husband John and three daughters: Layne, Morgan and Katie.
Life verse
"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)
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