Research Expertise and Interest

educational equity, early childhood education, cognitive processes, early math learning, social contexts of education

Research Description

Dana Miller-Cotto is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education. Dr. Miller-Cotto has used approaches from developmental science and education to study predictors of educational inequity, particularly as they relate to marginalized students learning math. A significant portion of her research focuses on individual differences in math performance for Black and Latine students living in poverty who generally demonstrate lower performance in mathematics in the United States.

Recently, Dr. Miller-Cotto has focused on the role of executive functions — a set of core cognitive processes that regulate our thoughts, behaviors, and emotions — in how children learn mathematics, using this information to design effective learning materials based on cognitive science. Within this area, her work 1) tests prominent theories of working memory, a component of executive functions, within the context of early math learning; 2) designs learning materials that support students’ working memory skills; and 3) examines the potential role of context and culture when conducting and interpreting executive function assessments conducted with Black and Latine children.

Her work is published in a range of journals and other outlets, including Journal of Educational Psychology; Infant and Child Development; Educational Psychology; Developmental Review; and Journal of Experimental Education. She also serves on the editorial board for Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, and the Principal Review Board for Journal of Educational Psychology. Her work has also been funded by the Society for Research in Child Development’s (SRCD) Black Caucus, and the Brady Education Foundation.

She earned her PhD and M.Ed. in Educational Psychology from Temple University.