Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

Faculty Spotlight

Dr. Patricia Alvarez McHatton

Name

Patricia Alvarez McHatton

College

Education

Department

Special Education

Undergraduate Degree

Special Education

From

University of South Florida

Graduate Degree

Varying Exceptionalities

From

University of South Florida

Doctoral Degree

Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Urban Special Education

From

University of South Florida

Previous Post(s)

I taught at T. E. Weightman Middle School for 4 years before beginning my doctoral studies. My previous career was outside of education – I worked in electrical contracting (as vice president in charge of operations for Belco South, Inc. Tampa branch; and then as branch manager for Aneco Electric, Tampa branch).

Published Works

• Hughes, C., Shaunessy, E., Brice, A., Ratliff, M., & Alvarez McHatton P. (2006). Code switching among minority and Limited English Proficient Students: Possible indicators of giftedness. Journal for the Education of the Gifted 30(1), 7-28.
• Alvarez McHatton, P., & Shaunessy, E. (2006). My child and me: Traversing the educational terrain. Teachers College Record, Date Published: November 27, 2006 http://www.tcrecord.org ID Number: 12855.
• Alvarez McHatton, P., Zalaquett, C. & Cranston-Gingras, A., (2006). Achieving success: perceptions of students from migrant farmworker families. American Secondary Education, 34(2), 25-39.
• Allsopp, D.H., DeMarie, D., Alvarez McHatton, P., & Doone, E. (2006). Partnerships, data collection and teacher preparation: Does an on-site course-practicum delivery model enhance early preservice teacher preparation?  Teacher Education Quarterly 33(1), 19-35.
• Alvarez, McHatton, P., Thomas, D., & Lehman, K. (2006). Lessons learned from service-learning: preparing professionals through community involvement. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning 14(1), 67-79.
• McHatton, P. A., & Correa, V. I. (2005). Stigma and discrimination: Perspectives from Mexican and Puerto Rican mothers of children with disabilities. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 25(3), 131-142.
• Cranston-Gingras, A., Morse, W., & Alvarez McHatton, P. (2004). First year college experiences of students from migrant farmworker families. Journal of the First Year Experience and Students in Transition 1(2), 9-25.
• Alvarez McHatton, P.  (2004). Educating Latino students: The more we know, the less things change. Journal of Latino/Latin American Studies 1(2), 113-130.

Area of Specialization / Research

School experiences of diverse youth; caregivers of children with disabilities and their experiences with schools; teacher preparation with an emphasis on cultural competency.

Current Course Offerings

I teach at both undergraduate and graduate levels. I am currently teaching Instructional Approaches for Exceptional Populations (graduate course) and facilitating the Senior Seminar for students completing their final internship.

How and when did you first become interested in your field of study?

I decided to enter education later in my life. My child was grown and heading to college and I had a yearning to begin a new career where I could make a difference. Based on my own school experiences, I felt I could be effective in working with students who were on the fringes and often considered the most difficult to work with.

What made you decide to pursue a career in higher education?

Leaving my k-12 setting was probably one of the most difficult things I have done. What made it worthwhile was the realization that by becoming a teacher educator I would be helping to prepare quality teachers who would in turn make a difference with many more children than I could alone. I still miss the students and so spend some time each week at local schools working with the students.

Why did you choose to be a part of the academic community at USF?

The Department of Special Education has a strong faculty committed to providing an academically rigorous program with the necessary supports to ensure our students’ success. There is a strong track record of collegiality and collaboration as well as a commitment to diversity. The college has a strong infrastructure to assist faculty in their teaching and research.

What do you enjoy about teaching the students of USF?

I think what I enjoy the most is the diversity of the students at USF. We have both traditional and non-traditional students each of which enriches the learning experience of the other.

What do you like about the university community?

The collegiality and collaborative environment.