Karin Spencer
Karin Spencer, Ed.D., is a Lecturer for the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, where she teaches in the Early Intervention Certificate program. She also teaches at George Washington University in the Department of Special Education and Disability Studies.
Dr. Spencer has nearly 30 years of experience as a provider, coach, administrator, and teacher educator. She served as a project director and adjunct faculty member for the Early Childhood Special Education Program at George Washington University, leading three OSEP-funded personnel preparation training programs for staff serving children ages birth through eight. She has also served as a faculty member and Early Education Coordinator at Shepherd University, where she received the Outstanding Faculty Award for scholarship. She has extensive experience supervising, instructing, and mentoring graduate students seeking licensure in early childhood general and special education. Dr. Spencer also led a Head Start national training and technical center related to physical development and outdoor play. Her work includes classroom and program-level evaluation tools as well as professional development guides to support reflection and implementation of evidence-based physical activity practices aligned with national activity guidelines informed by principles of universal design for learning. Dr. Spencer has pursued her passion for promoting infant and early childhood mental health by translating research into practice to lead program development and to provide professional development; the intersection of physical activity and resilience is an important theme. She has organized and facilitated playgroups for vulnerable populations of young children and their families, including active play and social-emotional development. Dr. Spencer’s work includes innovative program evaluation and professional development tools to support reflection and implementation of culturally responsive practices as well as physical activity and mentally healthy environments.