Melanie Muskin
Melanie Muskin explores issues of professional dignity and sustainability for public school teachers. Her academic research is informed by a prior career in New York City schools where she served as a teacher, elementary school assistant principal, director of a citywide research-based professional development initiative, and head of a center-based preschool. Melanie is currently completing her PhD in Human Development and Social Policy at Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy. She has a Master’s in Human Development and Social Policy from Northwestern University; a Master's in Organization and Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University; and a Bachelor’s in Cognitive Science from Vassar College where she also earned her initial teaching certificate.
Contact
Box 709
Research and Academic Interests
- Teacher Activism
- Social Movements
- Professional Dignity
- Early Childhood Education
- Educational Leadership
- Participatory Design Research
Departments and Programs
Courses
EDUC 235: Issues in Contemporary Education
Selected Publications
- Muskin, M. (under review). Quitting with a Crowd: An Exploration of Teachers' Resignation Stories on TikTok.
- Muskin, M. (under review). PK-12 Teacher Sabbatical Leave Policies: A Descriptive Study.
- Muskin, M. (2022). Educating the Whole Family: Community, Resilience, and Possibility in CUNY’s Campus Child Care System. New York, NY: The City University of New York.
Grants, Fellowships, Honors, Awards
- Institute for Education Sciences, Multidisciplinary Program in Education Sciences Fellowship, 2022-2025
- Search Institute Summer Scholars Fellowship, 2023
- Northwestern University Graduate Fellowship, 2021-2022
Awards While Attending Vassar College
- Elected Phi Beta Kappa: The Nation’s Oldest Academic Honor Society, 2010
- General Honors and Departmental Honors in Cognitive Science, Vassar College, 2010
- Distinction on Senior Thesis in Cognitive Science, Vassar College, 2010
- Edith Glickman Neisser Award for outstanding commitment to child study, 2010
- Elected Psi Chi: The International Honor Society in Psychology, 2009
- Wendy Rae Breslau Award for engagement with the local community, 2009
In the Media:
- Vassar College's Education Department hosted their first-ever reunion and featured Melanie Muskin as a participant.
- Northwestern University highlighted Melanie Muskin for her piece entitled Calling in Whiteness: Designing and Supporting Anti-Oppressive Scholarship through Epistemic Openness, which won honorable mention in an essay contest addressing the legacy of white supremacy and western dominance in psychology.
- While operating an early childhood center during the COVID-19 pandemic, Melanie Muskin spoke with Famly to share her experiences with grassroots organizing amongst child care providers in Brooklyn, NY.
