Jessica Kamuru

Dr. Jessica Kamuru is an Assistant Professor in Special Education at Avila University, Missouri. With a 13-year background as a special education teacher in Kansas City, she specializes in supporting students with learning disabilities, particularly in mathematics, and advocates for equitable access to education for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations.

• B.S. in Sociology (University of Central Missouri, 2002)
• M.A. in Special Education - Mild/Moderate Disabilities (University of Missouri-Kansas City, 2006)
• Ph.D. in Special Education - Learning Disabilities with Mathematics emphasis (University of Missouri-Columbia, 2020)

Her research focuses on integrating culturally sustaining pedagogy with evidence-based practices to address mathematics education disparities for CLD students with learning disabilities. Recent work explores symbolic numerical magnitude understanding and number line conceptualization.

Dr. Kamuru's publications demonstrate interdisciplinary trends at the intersection of special education, mathematics education, and multicultural equity research. Key themes include social justice mathematics, collaborative teaching models, and cognitive interventions.

• Graduate Student Diversity Award (University of Missouri-Columbia, 2020)
• Nominated for Graduate Teacher of the Year (University of Missouri-Columbia, 2019)
• Project PRISM Fellowship funded by U.S. Department of Education (2016)

She brings practical experience from consulting local school districts on English Learner instruction and has presented at national conferences including the Council of Exceptional Children (2021) and Missouri Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (2021).