Dr. Mary K. Requa

Mary Requa

( She/Her/Hers )
Associate Professor
Special Education (SPED)
Phone: (415) 338-3428
Email: mrequa@sfsu.edu

 

Mary K. Requa, Ph.D., is the Mild Moderate Support Needs Program Coordinator and an associate professor of special education in the Department of Special Education. Her primary teaching responsibilities include courses related to understanding, assessing, and instructing individuals with mild/moderate support needs including methods and materials to promote successful learning outcomes for typical and atypical learners of all ages. Dr. Requa’s primary research interests include early literacy, teacher preparation, family engagement and the implementation of evidence-based practices and strategies for effective instruction for individuals with exceptionalities. 

Educational Background

  • PhD., Special Education, University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University, 2017
  • Educational Therapy, University of California, Berkeley, 2005
  • California Elementary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, California State University, Los Angeles, 1978
  • B.A., Liberal Studies, Loyola Marymount University, 1977

Research and Publications

Peer Review/Submitted Papers

  • Requa, M. K. & Fogo, B. (2020). Facilitating meaningful dialogue between special and general education teacher through synchronous online learning. Issues in teacher education, 29(1-2). 
  • Requa, M. K. & Yochim, J. 2023. Message in a Backpack: Big words for little people, . Teaching young children, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Winter 2023 issue. 
  • Requa, M. K., & Yochim, J. (2023). Removing RICA Roadblocks. The CCTE Spring 2023 Research Monograph, 22. 
  • Yi-Jui Iva Chen, Y. I., Wilson, M., Irey, R. C., and Requa, M. K. (2020). An innovative approach to measuring orthographic processing. Language Testing (in press).
  • Requa, M. K., Chen, Y. I. & Cunningham, A. E. (2018). Teaching parents of at-risk English and Spanish speaking preschoolers to employ explicit vocabulary instruction during shared storybook reading. Journal of Research in Childhood Education (under review).
  • Requa, M. K., Mitch, M. K., & Chen, Y. I. (2019). The Magic of Big Words for Little People. Teaching Young Children (under review).

Peer- Reviewed Professional Presentations

  • Requa, M. K. The Magic of Big Words for Little People. Accepted for Oral Presentation at the 23rd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education
  • Requa, M. K., & Yochim, J., & Schweitzer, C. 2023. Preparing Pre-service Teachers for Culturally Responsive Lesson Plan Design, Teacher              Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children Annual Conference, Long Beach, CA.  November, 2023. 
  • Requa, M. K. & Yochim, J. 2023. California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) Spring Policy Action Network (SPAN) Annual Conference, Sacramento, CA, March 2023.
  • Requa, M. K., Chen, Y. I., & Mitch, M. K. Growing Words: Vocabulary Development in Shared Storybook Reading. Upcoming oral presentation at the National Head Start Association’s 2019 Parent and Family Engagement Conference, Anaheim, CA. December 2019.
  • Fogo, B.*, Rodl, J.*, & Requa, M.*. Collaborative Teaming Using Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Inclusive History-Social Science Classrooms. Oral presentation at the Conference of the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE). San Diego, CA. October 2019.
  • Fogo, B.*, Rodl, J.*, & Requa, M.*. Collaborative Teaming Using Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Inclusive History-Social Science Classrooms. Poster presentation at the Conference of the California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE). San Diego, CA. October 2019.
  • Mitch, M. K. & Requa, M. K. Using Hybrid Teaching Methods in Higher Education Courses.Oral presentation at the Spring Policy Action Network (SPAN),California Council on Teacher EducationConference. Sacramento, CA. March 2019.
  • Requa, M. K., Chen, Y. I., & Cunningham, A. E. Big words for little people: Vocabulary development through shared storybook reading with preschool families. Oral presentation at the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., November 2018.
  • Requa, M. K., Chen, Y. I., & Cunningham, A. E. Vocabulary Development through shared storybook reading with preschool parents. Paper presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR), Brighton, England, July
  • Requa, M. K. Vocabulary Development through Shared Storybook Reading with Preschool Parents AKA: Big Words for Little People. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA), April 2017.
  • Requa, M. K. & Cunningham, A. E. Fostering Children’s Language Development Through Lively Conversations with Text. Paper presented at the International Dyslexia Association Annual Conference, October 2016.
  • Requa, M. K. Vocabulary Development through Shared Storybook Reading with Preschool Parents, AKA: Big Words for Little People. Paper presented at the 10th Annual Conference for the University of California Center for Research on Special Education, Disabilities, and Developmental Risk, January 2016.
  • Courey, S., Tappe, P., & Requa, M. K. Supporting scaffolded responses. Paper presented at the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA: February 2015.
  • Tappe, P. & Requa, M. K. Strategic tools to scaffold constructed responses. Paper presented at the 2014 California Educational Research Association (CERA) Annual Conference, San Diego, CA: December 2014.
  • Requa, M. K.*, Gat Savaldi Harussi*, & Yi-Jui Chen (Iva)* Reading assessments and reading acquisition…what works? Poster presented at the University of California Center for Research on Special Education, Disabilities and Developmental Risk (UCCSPEDDR), January 2014.
  • Cunningham, A. E. & Requa, M. K. Effective Teaching Strategies for Special Education K-3 Students in Reading: Meeting the Common Core Standards. Paper presented at the Council of Administrators of Special Education Annual Conference, CEC, Indianapolis, IN: September 2013.

Honors and Awards

  • 2015 - 2016: The Sujata Krishna Fellowship for Research in Early Childhood Development
  • 2015 - 2016: Graduate School of Education Fellowship Award
  • 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015: Dyslexia Award, University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Education

Grants and Contracts

  • National Science Foundation Award: Supporting Neurodiverse Students in Engineering Teamwork through an AI-Driven Platform, October 2024
  • Dean’s Faculty Award for Research in Education: Preparing Pre-service General and Special Education Teachers for Culturally Responsive Lesson Plan Design. October 2023
  • 2019 - 2020 Presidential Award for Professional Development of Probationary Faculty
  • 2018 – 2019 California Council on Teacher Education (CCTE) Special Interest Group on Inclusive Education from the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform(CEEDAR) Center, US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs