Education

University of Washington
June 2024
Degree - Doctor of Philosophy, Special Education
Focus - Early Childhood Special Education

University of Southern California - School Leadership Academy
December 2018
Credential - Administrative Services

Claremont Graduate University
August 2011
Degree - Master of Education, Special Education
Credential - Education Specialist, Moderate/Severe Disabilities

University of California, Irvine
June 2009
Degree - Bachelor of Art
Major - History

Professional Work Experience

Assistant Professor, Child and Family Studies
University of Connecticut - University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Services
7/2024-Present

• Develop and provide university-based training, coaching, and technical assistance to early childhood special educators, early interventionists, providers, and administrators

• Develop and provide resources, tools, and technical assistance to state trainers and faculty

• Produce and review briefs, case studies, literature reviews, sample syllabi, and university-based teaching modules, as needed to support the development of training materials for early childhood special educators, early interventionists, providers, and administrators

Program Specialist, Department of Special Education
San Marino Unified School District
6/2018-8/2020

• Developed and led training for educators, providers, and staff to support their implementation of district policies, procedures, and practices to ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations for individuals with disabilities

• Engaged and served as administrator in Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings to support teams and families working to support children ages 3-22 years receiving Part B 619 and Part B services

• Provided direct supervision, support, and coaching to all special educators within the district

Department Chair, Special Education
Henry E. Huntington Middle School, San Marino Unified School District 8/2015-6/2018

• Maintained consistent leadership while working toward the achievement of the highest possible level of excellence in teaching and services provided within the department

• Demonstrated consistent oral, written, and interpersonal communication to ensure department updates, policies, activities, etc. were received and understood

• Engaged with the Director of Special Education and Executive Director of Student Services to ensure the department was aligned with state and federal requirements

Specialized Academic Instruction Teacher
Henry E. Huntington Middle School, San Marino Unified School District 8/2012-6/2018

• Prepared instruction tied to state standards to target general skill development through whole group instruction and individualized instruction to support students meet their specific goals

• Engaged in meaningful development of culturally responsive curriculum, materials, and classroom activities to ensure appropriate representation of an increasingly diverse student and family population

• Directly supervised a team of instructional aides who provided group and individual support to students; engaged them in ongoing training and professional development to ensure best practice

Research Experience

Graduate Student Lead Research Assistant, BCC
University of Washington, Seattle
10/2022-6/2024

• Developed materials for and led bi-monthly training for coaches within professional learning communities (PLCs) across several states

• Engaged in collection and interpretation of data provided by coaches who completed the Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT); composed informative memos to support coaching

• Developed materials (e.g., surveys and checklists) to collect data from coaches about their experiences, their coaching, and the educators they coaches; data collected informed PLC materials and training development

Graduate Student Lead Research Assistant, ibestt
University of Washington, Seattle
3/2021-4/2023

• Operationalized independent and dependent variables, developed research criteria and initial study protocols, and wrote a summary of the proposed research for review by a design consultant

• Provided direct communication between the project team and partnering study sites

• Wrote detailed case studies to be integrated into training videos and modules for professional development provided directly to coaches, educators, and administrators

Secondary Coder, Student Dissertation
University of Washington, Seattle
3/2021-9/2021

• Completed coding for videos depicting functional play behaviors between children and parents

Secondary Coder, Tiered Coaching Model (TCM)
University of Washington, Seattle
3/2021-6/2022

• Completed coding for videos depicting children engaging in challenging behaviors

Manuscripts

Zulauf-McCurdy, C., McManus, M., & Fettig, A. (2024). A systematic review of interventions to promote parent-teacher relationships in early childhood education. Journal of Early Childhood Education Research 14(4). DOI:10.1177/21582440241288114

Fettig, A., Zulauf-McCurdy, C., Choi, G., & McManus, M. (2022). Qualitative Investigation of Educator and Parent Experiences of Education Services During COVID-19. Journal of Early Intervention, 10538151221140322. https://doi.org/10.1177/10538151221140322

Presentations at Meetings and Conferences

Poster Presentations

• McManus, M. & Fettig, A. (2024, February). Conference on Research Innovations in Early Education, Getting to the Destination: Families’ Journey to High-Quality Engagement with Services [Poster Presentation]. CRIEI, San Diego, CA.

• McManus, M. S. & Fettig, A. (2023, November 27-December 1). Division for Exceptional Children, It’s Time: A Family-Oriented Framework for Research with Diverse Families[Poster Presentation]. Division for Early Childhood, Minneapolis, MN.

• McManus, M. S. & Fettig, A. (2023, July 23-27). It’s Time: A Family-Oriented Framework for Research with Diverse FamiliesThe Office of Special Education Programs Combined Leadership and Project Directors’ Conference. Washington, D.C.

• McManus, M. S. & Fettig, A. (2023, May 3-6). International Society for Autism Research, Conversations with Researchers: Practices Promoting Increased Inclusivity Among Research Participants [Accepted Poster Presentation]. INSAR, Stockholm. Sweden.

• McManus, M. S. & Fettig, A. (2022, September 26-29). Division for Exceptional Children, Conversations with Researchers: Practices Promoting Inclusive Recruitment [Poster Presentation]. Division for Early Childhood, Chicago, IL

• Spaulding, S., Artman Meeker, K., Davis, C., McManus, M., Bravo, A., & Kelly, B. (2022, February). Conference on Research Innovations in Early Education, The Family Notebook: Supporting the Development of Early Intervention Family-Educator Partnerships Through Team-Based Behavior Support [Poster Presentation]. CRIEI, San Diego, CA.

• McManus, M. S. & Fettig, A. (2021, September 20-24). Division for Exceptional Children, Examining Barriers to Diversity in Parent-Mediated Intervention Studies [Poster Presentation]. Division for Early Childhood, Virtual. https://www.dec-sped.org/

Other Presentations

• Fettig, A., McManus, M. S., & Zhao, Y. (2023, May). Building Early Childhood Coaching Capacity Using a Tiered Approach. Infant and Early Childhood Conference 2023 (virtual).

• Fettig, A., Luna, A., & McManus, M. S. (2023, April 11-14). Addressing Interfering Behaviors in Children with ASD. National Training Institute on Effective Practices: Addressing Challenging Behavior. Tampa, FL.

• Spaulding, S. A., McManus, M. S., & Davis, C. (2023, March 29-31). Individualized implementation: Initial training and ongoing support for Tier 3 strategies. The Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference 2023. Jacksonville, FL.

• Spaulding, S. A., Kelly, E. M., Sierschynski, J., & McManus, M. S. (2022, February). Family-professional partnership and communication within behavior support systems for young children. Symposium to be presented at the Council for Exceptional Children 2022 Special Education Convention and Expo (virtual). Orlando, FL.

• Sierschynski, J., Kelly, E., Spaulding, S. & McManus, M. (2022). Using participatory software design to reconfigure traditional power asymmetries between dominant school systems and nondominant families. International Conference of the Learning Sciences 2022, Hiroshima, Japan.

Other Experience

Managing Editor, Young Exceptional Children Journal
7/2021-2/2025

• Prepared submitted manuscripts (new and revised) for review by ensuring each manuscript meets the YEC standards and submission requirements

• Built relationships with authors by providing consistent communication and support throughout the submission, review, and publication process

• Provided direct support to the Editor-In-Chief through weekly updates, planning meetings, and troubleshooting issues with the review and production processes

• Consulted with the production team to prepare print issues and provide authors with proofs of their accepted manuscripts

• Supported Associate Editors with administrative tasks required throughout the review process

Awards and Honors

Halo Award Recipient
4/2018

• Awarded by the Huntington Middle School PTA for an ​outstanding contribution of time and talent to the special education population of children and their families

Ethnographic Narrative Award
8/2011

• Awarded by Claremont Graduate University, School of Education for a Master’s Thesis based on exemplary research

Barbara Greenwood Award (Barbara Greenwood Presentation)
6/2011

• Awarded by Claremont Graduate University, School of Education to a student specializing in early childhood education​ (​A research-based presentation given by the Barbara Greenwood Award recipient)

Magna cum Laude Graduation Honors
6/2009

• Awarded by the University of California for students with a GPA of 3.8-3.9

Phi Beta Kappa Society
6/2009-Present

• Awarded membership by America’s most prestigious honor society

Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
6/2009-Present

• Awarded membership for excelling in and promoting the study of history

Credentials and Certificates

• Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT) for Preschool Classrooms

• CITI - Human Subjects Learners

• CITI - Human Subjects Learners Refresher

• CITI - Good Clinical Practice and ICH

• CITI - Social and Behavioral Research Best Practices for Clinical Research

• Administrative Services Credential

• Education Specialist Moderate/Severe Clear Credential

• Education Specialist Moderate/Severe Credential

• California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET)

• Multiple Subjects California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)

• Reading Instruction Competence Assessment