Rate My Professor Serra De Arment

Dr. Serra T. De Arment is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education. A Richmond native, she earned her B.A. in psychology and M.T. in special education from the University of Virginia in 2001, beginning a 10-year career as a special education teacher in diverse Virginia school divisions. Her roles included non-categorical inclusion co-teacher at Kent Gardens Elementary School, Fairfax County (2001-2003); early childhood special education teacher at Trevilians Elementary School, Louisa County (2003-2007); and learning disabilities teacher at Winterpock Elementary School, Chesterfield County (2007-2011). In 2009, she achieved National Board Certification as an Exceptional Needs Specialist and co-facilitated a regional support program for National Board Certification candidates through VCU’s Metropolitan Education Training Alliance from 2012 to 2020. She completed her Ph.D. in education with a concentration in special education and disability policy at VCU in 2016, dissertation titled "Understanding the Problem Solving Approaches of Special Educators through the Lens of Adaptive Expertise." At VCU, she has served as adjunct instructor (2013-2014), instructor (2014-2016), assistant professor (2016-2022), and associate professor since 2022. She coordinates the Post-Baccalaureate Graduate Certificate Program in Special Education Teaching K-12 and teaches and advises in the M.Ed. in Special Education, Early Childhood concentration, preparing early intervention to preschool (birth to 5) and K-12 special educators for inclusive settings.

Dr. De Arment’s research interests encompass teacher education practices to strengthen the special educator workforce and enhance student access and inclusion, particularly in under-resourced communities and for students with multiple marginalized identities; collaborative and inclusive teaching practices; universal design for learning; open educational resources; and self-study of teacher education practices. Key publications include "Promoting adaptive expertise: A conceptual framework for special educator preparation" (De Arment, Reed, & Wetzel, Teacher Education and Special Education, 2013); "Optimizing accessibility through universal design for learning" (De Arment, Xu, & Coleman, DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series No. 2, 2016); "Teacher scaffolding for reciprocal peer tutoring to promote English learners’ language skills" (Xu, De Arment, Coleman, & Huennekens, DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series No. 4, 2018); and "Innovative collaborations to support future early interventionists" (Williams et al., DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series No. 9, 2022). She has presented at conferences including Teacher Education Division and Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children. Awards include VCU School of Education Distinguished Teaching Award (2021), Distinguished Dissertation Award (2016), and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU Spirit of Advocacy Award (2015). She is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children, American Educational Research Association, and Richmond Early Childhood Association.