Jen Newton

Jennifer R. Newton, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Ohio University. Her scholarship in early childhood special education centers on inclusion, IDEA policy, and special education law, grounded in the conviction that instructional quality and inclusive placement cannot be separated.

Teaching Interests

Graduate Courses

• Typical and Atypical Early Development
• Collaboration with Families, Colleagues, and the Community
• Cultivating a Responsive Classroom Ecology
• Current Issues in Special Education
• Curriculum and Instruction Practicum on College Teaching
• Behavioral Management for Learners with Special Needs
• Early Childhood Practicum II
• Advanced Assessment Practices in Early Childhood General and Special Education
• Curriculum and Instruction Practicum

Undergraduate Courses

• Providing Effective Health, Medical, and Communication Supports
• Characteristics of Learners Receiving Services and Supports under IDEA
• Roles and Responsibilities of Intervention Specialists
• Instructional Adaptations for Inclusive Early and Elementary Classrooms

Publications

Morris, C. T., & Newton, J. R. (2026). Supporting participation and belonging in trauma-informed early childhood settings. Young Exceptional Children (accepted).

Morris, C. T., Newton, J. R., & Chapman, L. A. (2026). Pinterest pedagogy: Informal digital spaces and the making of pedagogical judgment. Manuscript under review.

Morris, C. T., Toland, T., & Newton, J. R. (2026). We keep calling something inclusion when it is not inclusion: Reconsidering participation, belonging, and exclusion across early childhood systems. DEC Monograph on Racial Equity. Division for Early Childhood, Council for Exceptional Children.

Morris, C. T., & Newton, J. R. (2026). Reasserting inclusion: A response to the ‘how versus where’ special education policy debate. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.

Newton, J. R., Batz, R., O’Grady, C., Vinh, M., & Blanchard, S. B. (2024). Beyond omission: Analyzing the erasure of disability and inclusion in the developmentally appropriate practices. International Journal of Early Years Education, 1–11.

Thompson, J. A., & Newton, J. R. (2022). Expanding mathematics equity initiatives for greater inclusivity. Connections.

Newton, J. R., & Wright-Jones, L. (2025). "They just don’t care": Rethinking deficit thinking and common myths about young children’s families and communities. In C. Morris (Ed.), Strengths-based family and community partnerships in early childhood special education. SLACK Inc.

Morris, C. T., Jones, S., Newton, J. R., & Chapman, L. A. (2022). Committing to family-professional partnerships during crisis schooling. In L. Davis & L. Willox (Eds.), Lessons Learned in 2020. Information Age Publishing.

Newton, J. R., Koestler, C., & McGarry, J. (2022). How many fingers?: A crit lit math lesson to launch discussions about body diversity. In Koestler, C., Ward, J., Zavala, M. d. R., & Bartell, T. Early childhood mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice.

Koestler, C., Newton, J. R., & McGarry, J. (2022). How many fingers?: A crit lit math lesson to launch discussions about body diversity. In Bartell, T., Yeh, C., Felton-Koestler, M., & Berry, R. (Eds.), Upper elementary mathematics lessons to explore, understand, and respond to social injustice.

Newton, J. R., & Williams, M. C. (2021). Instagram as a special educator professional development tool: A guide to teachergram. Journal of Special Education Technology.

Blanchard, S. B., Newton, J. R., Didericksen, K.W., Daniels, M., & Glosson, K. (2021). Confronting racism and bias within early intervention: The responsibility of systems and individuals to influence change and advance equity. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 41(1).

Newton, J. R, Williams, M. C, & Feeney, D. M (2020). Implementing non-traditional assessment strategies in teacher preparation: Opportunities and challenges. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 3(1), 39-51.

Newton, J. R., Ottley, J., Coogle, C., & Hartman, S. L. (2019). Simultaneous renewal: An inclusive approach to collaboration and teaming. Collaborations: A Journal of Community-based Research and Practice, 2(1), 17.

Beneke, M. R., Newton, J. R., Vinh, M. E., Blanchard, S. B., & Kemp, P. (2019). Practicing inclusion, doing justice: Disability, identity, and belonging in early childhood. Zero to Three Journal, 39(3), 26-35.

Hill, C. F., Newton, J. R., & Williams, M. C. (2017). Check your judgment: Reframing techniques to support strengths-based approaches to family-centered practices. In C. M. Trivette & B. Keilty (Eds.), DEC Recommended Practices Monograph Series: Using DEC Family Practices with All Families. Arlington, VA: Division for Early Childhood.

Barbour, N. B., Wilson, D. R., & Newton, J. R. (2016). Making the shift from preschool to laboratory school. In N. B. Barbour & B.A. McBride (Eds.), The future of child development laboratory schools: Applied developmental science in action. New York: Taylor & Francis.

Kennedy, M. J., Kellems, R. O., Thomas, C. N., & Newton, J. R. (2014). Using content acquisition podcasts to deliver core content to preservice teacher candidates. Intervention in School and Clinic. DOI: 10.1177/1053451214542046

Kennedy, M. J., Aronin, S., Newton, J. R., O’Neal, M., & Thomas, C. N. (2014). Creating multimedia-based vignettes with embedded evidence-based practices: A tool for supporting struggling learners. Journal of Special Education Technology, 29(4), 15-30.

Kennedy, M. J., Thomas, C. N., Aronin, S., Newton, J. R., & Lloyd, J. W. (2014). Improving teacher candidate knowledge using content acquisition podcasts. Computers & Education, 70, 116-127. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2013.08.010

Newton, J. R., Kennedy, M. J., Walther-Thomas, C., & Cornett, J. (2012). Implications of NCATE Blue Panel Report on Transforming Teacher Education on Early Childhood Special Education. Focus on Exceptional Children, 45, 1-14.

Kennedy, M. J., Newton, J. R., Haines, S., Walther-Thomas, C., & Kellems, R. O. (2012). A triarchic model for teaching “introduction to special education”: Case studies, content acquisition podcasts, and effective feedback. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 20, 251-275.

* Kennedy, M. J., Ely, E., Pullen, P., Thomas, C., Newton, J. R., Lovelace, S., Cole, M., & Ashworth, K. (2012). Using multimedia tools to support teacher candidates’ learning. Teacher Education and Special Education, 35, 243-257.

Non-Referenced Publications

Fact sheet: Advancing racial equity in early intervention and preschool special education. ECTA Center. (2023).

Grants and Research Support

• Newton, J. R. (2026; 2025). OCTF–Southeast Ohio Parent Engagement Subaward. Funded by Ohio Children’s Trust Fund. $12,500.
• Newton, J. R. (2022). Making videos to unlearn ableism in a foundational special education course. Funded by CourseHero Teaching Grants. $1,300.
• Ottley, J. R., Allan, D., Grey-Gibbs, T., Harrison, L., & Newton, J. R. (2018). Project Equity: Culturally relevant interactions and behavioral supports. Funded by Ohio Dean’s Compact for Special Education. $35,000.

Awards

• Patton College of Education Distinguished Faculty Undergraduate Teaching Award 2024
• The Merle B. Karnes Service to DEC Award 2024
• Outstanding Publication of the Year, Teacher Education Division of CEC 2015