Staci M. Zolkoski

Staci M. Zolkoski

Staci M. Zolkoski, PhD, is an associate professor of special education at the University of Texas at Tyler. Prior to working at the collegiate level, Dr. Zolkoski taught kindergarten and fourth grade. She currently teaches classroom management at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as courses in special education, behavior disorders, and educational strategies. She has won the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society Teacher of the Year award several times: twice for the UT Tyler School of Education and once for the UT Tyler College of Education & Psychology.

Dr. Zolkoski is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children as well as an active member of the Division for Emotional and Behavioral Health (DEBH), where she serves on the publications and professional development committees. She is also the treasurer of the DEBH Foundation and the editor of the DEBH newsletter at Behavior Today. Dr. Zolkoski has presented and published her research on resilience and social-emotional learning at the national and international levels and has worked with local school districts and teachers to implement social-emotional learning and effective classroom management. Dr. Zolkoski has presented for ElevateTXEd, which is a collaborative effort across the University of Texas System.

Dr. Zolkoski earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of Toledo in Ohio. She earned her master’s degree and doctorate in special education with an emphasis on behavior disorders from the University of North Texas.