Jill Davis, Ph.D.

Jill Davis, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She is also the coordinator for both the UCO Early Childhood and Elementary Education Teacher Path and the UCO Rural Teacher Path. Davis has been at the university since 2015. Prior to UCO, she taught Pre-K, Kindergarten and in a K-1 multiage classroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While teaching, she earned her National Board Certification. She was also awarded the Oklahoma Early Childhood Educator of the Year and Teacher of the Year at Kendall-Whittier Elementary in Tulsa. Davis’ research interests include advocacy, early childhood mathematics, and social justice issues in literacy education. She has also used her research and classroom experiences to publish in multiple academic journals and present at the international, national, state and local levels. 

• ECED 4112: Health, Safety, and Nutrition
• ECED 4222: Leadership in Diverse Communities
• ECED 4313/5313: Creativity in the Arts in Early Childhood
• ECED 4900: Early Childhood Education Practicum
• ECED 4910/5910: Critical Studies in Children’s Literature
• ECED 5223: Educational Practices of Constructivist Teachers (Independent Study)
• ECED 5883: Teachers as Researchers (Independent Study)
• ECED 5900: Early Childhood Practicum (Independent Study) 
• ELED 4063/5063: Teaching Reading in the Primary Grades
• ELED 4263/5263: Assessment & Intervention Practices in Teaching Reading in Grades K-3
• ELED 4323/5323: Teaching Mathematics in Preschool and the Primary Grades
• ELED 4432: STEM Education in Grades 1-8
• ELED 4910/5910: Teaching Early Childhood and Elementary Mathematics
• ELED 5533: Number Concepts and Assessments (PreK-5) 
• ELED 5613: Contemporary Issues in Elementary Education
• ELED 5910: Pedagogical Theories, Practices, and Child Development
• ELED 5910: Instructional Design and Assessment
• PTE 4172: Education Assessment (Early Childhood Education section)
• University Supervisor for Student Teachers

Ph.D., Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum, Early Childhood Education

University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, 2015

Dissertation: Experiences of early childhood educators who use constructivist approaches in an era of high-stakes accountability.

M.Ed., Early Childhood Education

Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, OK, 2009

Capstone Paper: Roles of parents in the education of children with special needs: Comparing programs inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and U.S. public schools following the mandates of NCLB.

B.S., Early Childhood Education

Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, OK, 1999

Associate Professor, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, 2020 to Present

Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education Coursework and University Supervisor for Student Teachers

Assistant Professor, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, 2015 to 2020

Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education Coursework and University Supervisor for Student Teachers

Adjunct Instructor, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK, 2010 to 2015

Early Childhood Education Coursework and University Supervisor for Student Teachers

Adjunct Instructor, Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, OK, 2009 to 2014

Early Childhood Education Coursework

Early Childhood Educator, Kendall-Whittier Elementary, Tulsa, OK, 2000 to 2012

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Teacher

Early Childhood Teacher, Allen-Bowden Schools, Tulsa, OK, 1999 to 2000

Pre-Kindergarten, Public School/Head Start Collaborative

Vanderford Excellence in Teaching Award, 2020

          University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK

NAECTE Advocacy Award, 2019

           National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators, Nashville, TN

Faulty Merit Credit Award for Service, 2019

University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond OK

Emergent Faculty Award for Professional Contributions, 2019

University of Central Oklahoma, College of Education and Professional Studies, Edmond, OK

Faculty Book and Materials Grant, Spring 2019 

Teaching Mathematics through Children’s Literature in Early Childhood and Elementary Grades, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK 

Books

Ethridge, E. A., Davis, J. M., Winterbottom C., Beisly, A. H. (Eds.) (2020). Advocacy in education:  Research-based strategies for teachers, administrators, and teacher educators.  Hauppauge, NY: Nova Publishers.

Chapters

Davis, J. M., & Pearce, N. (2021). Developing a children’s literature course to facilitate pre-service teachers’ understanding of culturally relevant texts. In D. E. Hartsfield (Ed.), Handbook of research on teaching diverse youth literature to pre-service professionals (pp. 44-67). IGI Global.

Davis, J. M., Ethridge, E. A., & Beisly, A. H. (2020). Empowered educators: Lessons gleaned from the Oklahoma teacher walkout. In E. Ethridge, J. M. Davis, C. Winterbottom, & A. H. Beisly (Eds.), Advocacy in education: Research-based strategies for teachers, administrators, and teacher educators (pp. 3-30). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Publishers.

Journal Articles

Pearce, K. N., & Davis, J. M. (2022). Literacy as a medium to cultivate social justice in young children. The Oklahoma Reader, 58(1), 43-51.

Cassel, D., & Davis. J. M. (2021). What about 10 and mathematical proficiency? Oklahoma Journal of School Mathematics, 8(1), 10-20.

Davis, J. M., Pearce, N., & Mullins, M. M. (2021). Missing boys: The limited portrayal of Black males in Caldecott books. Journal of Children’s Literature, 47(1).

Pearce, N., & Davis, J. M. (2021). Fostering resilience through executive function. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 49(1), 14-18.

Beisly, A., Davis, J. M., Lake, V., & McCombs, B. (2020). Fear not early childhood teachers! You are already using algebraic strategies in your classroom. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 48(3), 20-24.

Davis, J. M., & Ford, A. (2019). An exploration of play that occurs with the introduction of loose parts. Play, Policy, and Practice Connections, XX(1), 3-6.

Davis, J. M., & Kelly, J. L. (2017). Encouraging family involvement in math during the early years. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 45(3), 4-9.

Davis, J. M. (2013). Toddler engagement in math through play at a child development center. Oklahoma Journal of School Mathematics, 5(2).

International Presentations

Riley, E., & Davis, J. M. (2019, April).  Encouraging mathematics through the use of loose parts in toddler classrooms. Presented at the International Infant Toddler Conference, Tulsa, OK.

National Presentations

Davis, J. M., & Cassel, D. (2022, February). Surveying pre-service teachers' dispositions about math through emoji exit tickets. Presented at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Regional Conference, New Orleans, LA.

Davis, J. M., & Cassel, D. (2021, February). Reimagining family involvement with family math game nights. Presented at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference, Virtual.

Ethridge, E. A., Davis, J. M., Pruitt, R., & Trombly, C. (2020, November). A tapestry of advocacy in education: Research-based strategies and implications for advocacy across the nation. Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Annual Conference, Virtual.

Nelson, M., Pennington, K., Davis, J. M., & Montgomery, S. (2020, April). Advocacy in pursuit of equity: An urban teacher preparation academies’ approach for broader impact. Accepted at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. *Conference Canceled because of COVID-19 Pandemic

Ford, A., & Davis, J. M. (2019, November). Pre-kindergarten play experiences with the introduction of loose parts. Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Annual Conference, Nashville, TN.

Davis, J. M., & Ethridge, E.A. (2019, November). Advocacy in early childhood education: Lessons gleaned from the Oklahoma walkout. Accepted for the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference, Nashville, TN.

Curry, C., Davis, J. M., and Cassel, D. (2019, March).  Family math night: Student-faculty collaboration for transformative learning in teacher education. Presented at the Transformative Learning Conference, Edmond, OK.

Ethridge, E. A., Davis, J. M., & Winterbottom, C. (2018, November). Lessons gleaned from the Oklahoma walkout. Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Annual Conference, Washington, DC.

Davis, J. M., Cassel, D., & Curry, C. (2018, November). Family math game night: Integrating service learning in a teacher education program. Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Annual Conference, Washington, DC.

Davis, J. M., & Mullins, M. M. (2018, June). Where are the boys who look like me? The limited portrayal of African American males in children’s books. Presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Learning Institute, Austin, TX.

Davis, J. M. (2017, November). Standing up for developmentally appropriate practice: Stories of autonomous early childhood educators. Presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Davis, J. M. (2017, June). Advocacy experiences of a pre-service teachers in early childhood education courses. Presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Learning Institute, San Francisco, CA.

Davis, J. M., & Kelly, J. L. (2016, November). Twitter 101 for teacher educators: The why, what, and how. Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA.

Kelly, J. L., Davis, J. M., & Ethridge, E. A. (2016, June). Advocacy in teacher education. Presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Professional Development Institute, Baltimore, MD.

Davis, J. M., & Ethridge, E. A. (2015, November). Teaching outside the bubble: An examination of the characteristics and experiences of autonomous early childhood educators in an era of high-stakes accountability. Presented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.

Davis, J. M. (2015, November). Experiences of early childhood educators who use constructivist approaches in an era of high-stakes accountability. Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.

Ethridge, E. A., Kelly, J. L., & Davis, J. M. (2015, November). Advocacy in Teacher Education:  Does it Make a Difference? Presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.

  State

Davis, J. M., & Cassel, D. (2022, June). Writing and reviewing for the Oklahoma Journal of School Mathematics. Presented at the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Mathematics Annual Conference, Norman, OK.

Vincent, D., Cassel, D., Davis, J. M., & Mooney, A. (2021, November). Reimagining elementary and early childhood alternative certification. Presented at the Oklahoma Association of Teacher Educators/Office of Educational Quality and Accountability Conference, Norman, OK.

Cassel, D., & Davis, J. M. (2021, March). Mathematics as a language? Presented at the Multicultural Education Institute, Virtual.

Montgomery, S., Pennington, K., Davis, J. M., & Nelson, M. (2020, October). Advocacy in teacher education: A survey from the field. Presented at the Oklahoma Association of Teacher Educators/Office of Educational Quality and Accountability Conference, Virtual.

Cassel, D., & Davis, J. M. (2019, June). Constructing tens: Strategies, standards, and learning. Presented at the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of Mathematics Conference, Oklahoma City, OK

Curry, C., Davis, J. M., & Cassel, D. (2019, March). Family math game night: Student-faculty collaboration for transformative learning in teacher education. Presented at Oklahoma Research Day, Weatherford, OK.

Davis, J. M. (2018, September). Advocacy 101: Tips for early childhood educators. Presented at the Oklahoma Association for the Education of Young Children Conference, Edmond, OK.

Davis, J. M. (2016, September). Math games to help children make sense of number sense. Presented at the Early Childhood Association of Oklahoma Conference, Midwest City, OK.

Kelly, J. L., & Davis, J. M. (2016, August). Telling stories with technology: Using digital storytelling apps in the classroom for preservice teachers. Presented at iPadpaloozaOU, Norman, OK.

Kelly, J. L., & Davis, J. M. (2016, August). Telling stories with technology: Using digital storytelling apps in the classroom for in-service teachers. Presented at iPadpaloozaOU, Norman, OK.

In her free time, Dr. Davis enjoys crafting, reading, binge watching television shows, playing games, and spending time with her husband and two children.