Erica Mason

Erica Mason is an Assistant Professor in Special Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Education. Her research bridges special education and mathematics education, focusing on teachers’ conceptions of disability and capability through research-practice partnerships. She employs critical special education frameworks and investigates classroom autonomy dynamics between general and special educators.

• Department of Special Education, College of Education
• Assistant Professor since 2019

Her research interests include:

• Anti-deficit mathematics instruction for students with disabilities
• Teacher autonomy and job satisfaction dynamics
• Deficit language persistence in inclusive education
• Equity-driven mathematics pedagogy
• Progress monitoring frameworks for special education

Recent publications examine:

• Autonomy-satisfaction relationships in special education (2023)
• Racial consciousness in mathematics instruction (2023)
• Math intervention intensity models (2022)
• Disability studies in education (2025)

Scientific contributions include:

• Co-developer of mathematics intervention frameworks
• Critical analyses of inclusionary practices
• Quantitative studies on teacher satisfaction
• Qualitative investigations of student camouflaging