Dr. Tiina Itkonen is a professor of education and political science. She received her Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2004. She completed her interdisciplinary studies in the education and political science departments, and received the 2004-2006 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Politics of Education Association of the American Educational Research Association. She was an American Educational Research Association – Spencer Doctoral Fellow during her studies.

Dr. Itkonen is a scholar of special education policy and politics. She has published several research articles in the American Journal of Education, Education Policy, Political Science Education, Comparative Sociology, and International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, among others, and written several book chapters. Her book titled “The Role of Special Education Interest Groups in National Policy” was published by Cambria Press. She frequently presents in national and international conferences, including in her native Finland.

Prior to her position in higher education, Dr. Itkonen had over fifteen years of experience in public schools as a special education teacher and a district specialist. She worked with a variety of student populations, and trained teachers and administrators both in P-12 schools as well as in court and community school settings. She holds two teaching credentials, a behavior intervention case manager certificate, a mental health rehabilitation specialist certificate, and has served on local and state-level task forces on a variety of reform initiatives. She is experienced in positive behavioral supports, inclusive education, collaboration, teacher education, and systemic change.

At CI, she teaches in the political science program (Faces of policy; Interest groups and collective action; Education policy and politics–classes she developed for the major) and in the School of Education (Educational leadership MA program; Masters in Education disability studies emphasis; special education teacher education program).