Michelle Macchia

Michelle Smith Macchia, Ed.D., Associate Professor of Professional Practice, oversees the development and applied practice of GSE pre-service teachers through her role as a Partnership Leader in the Community School Partnership Network (GSE‑CSPN). In this capacity, Dr. Macchia supports teacher candidates in developing their understanding of, and ability to implement, culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogies. Her teaching centers on disrupting biased narratives about marginalized groups and communities that are often reproduced within school systems, and her scholarship on professional development reflects this strong social‑justice orientation.

A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Macchia earned her bachelor’s degree in French & Linguistics from the University of California, Los Angeles. She discovered her passion for education during a post‑baccalaureate fellowship supporting teachers of color in independent schools, which led her to pursue a master’s degree in Educational Administration at Teachers College, Columbia University. She later completed her doctorate in Teacher Leadership at Rutgers GSE, where she was awarded the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Fellowship in recognition of her outstanding service to the field of education and her demonstrated potential to advance the school’s change‑agent mission.

Dr. Macchia serves on the Board of Trustees of the Rahway Community Action Organization, a nonprofit supporting early childhood education, family strengthening, and senior services. She also regularly shares her expertise with educators, schools, and community groups working to build inclusive and responsive learning environments.

• Expertise & Research Interest

  Early Literacy Instruction

  Teacher Leadership

  Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

  GSE Community School Partnership Network

  Equity-centered instruction

• Clinical Experience

  Assistant Professor of Professional Practice and Partnership Leader, Rutgers University (2018-Present)

  Senior Educational Consultant and Project Lead, Astor Early Reading Mentor Program, Teaching Matters, Inc. (2014-Present)

  Educational Consultant, Blueprints for Learning, Inc. (2012-2014)

  General Education Teacher, Sussex Avenue School (2004-2013)

  Coordinator, Teacher Academy, Morris School District (2012-2013)

  Cooperating Teacher, Sussex Avenue School (2012)

  Lead Teacher, Sussex Avenue School (2010-2012)

  Adjunct Faculty, County College of Morris (2011)

  Mentor, New Teacher Mentoring Program, Morris School District (2008-2011)

  Instructor and Advisory Council Member, Teacher Academy, Morris School District (2007-2010)

  Supervisor, Sunset After-school Program (2006-2008)

  Member, K-5 Basic Skills Summer School Curriculum Committee (2005-2007)

  Teacher, Grades K-3, Hanford Elementary School District (2001-2003)

• Honors & Awards

  Samuel DeWitt Proctor Fellowship, Rutgers University

  Pioneering Coach Award, Teaching Matters