PROFILE

Lia Sandilos, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of school psychology at Lehigh University. In her role, Dr. Sandilos enjoys conducting school-based research as well as teaching and mentoring students. Overarching goals of her research are to improve teachers’ relationships with students and their instructional effectiveness by (a) examining the influence of assessments of quality interactions and instruction on key educational outcomes, and (b) identifying ways to support teachers’ emotional well-being. Her work is also oriented toward better understanding the schooling experiences of young students who may experience social inequities because of their ethnic group membership, family poverty status, or language proficiency status.

Dr. Sandilos has been involved in grant-funded research projects examining a range of topics, including instructional processes that facilitate students’ character/social-emotional skills, the measurement of teacher well-being, and effective instruction for English language learners. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in well-regarded education journals (e.g., Child Development, Journal of School Psychology, Early Childhood Research Quarterly). Most recently, she developed the Measure of Stressors and Supports for Teachers (MOST), which is a teacher-report questionnaire aimed at better understanding teachers’ needs in the school setting. Through her work, Dr. Sandilos is highly committed to identifying ways to make schools and classrooms more welcoming and supportive environments for students and teachers.