Melissa Mendoza, Ph.D.

Melissa E Mendoza is an Assistant Professor at Texas Christian University where she is a core member of the Alice Neeley Special Education Research and Service Institute and affiliate faculty of the Center for Public Education and Community Engagement. Her research focuses on inclusive education policy implementation, teacher education for inclusive learning environments, and the student transition from school to employment. Dr. Mendoza completed her doctorate in Comparative Education in the School of Education and Information Studies at University of California, Los Angeles and received the 2023 Department of Education Award for Outstanding Ph.D. Dissertation.

She is a former special education teacher and has worked in teacher education supporting novice and pre-service dual language and general education teachers in the field for over five years. She is a Fulbright scholar and was a fellow at the WORLD Policy Analysis Center twice, focusing on inclusive education for people with disabilities, gender equality in education, and approaches to special education services.