Jessica Namkung

Associate Professor

Dr. Jessica Namkung is an associate professor specializing in mathematics learning difficulties in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. She teaches courses on assessment and instruction related to special education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her research focuses on improving mathematics outcomes for struggling students and understanding various factors (e.g., executive functions, language, mathematics anxiety) that contribute to individual differences in learning mathematics.

Currently, Dr. Namkung serves as a PI of an IES-funded exploration grant aimed at identifying key factors that underlie pre-algebra difficulties among 7th graders. She has served as a co-DI of two OSEP-funded leadership grants focused on training future scholars.

Her research has been published in Review of Educational Research, The Elementary School Journal, The Journal of Educational Psychology, Journal of Learning Disabilities, Learning Disabilities Quarterly.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 2014
• M.Ed., Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 2009
• B.S., Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2006

Professional Experience

• Associate Professor, School of Education, University of Delaware, 2022–present
• Associate Professor, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2021–2022
• Assistant Professor, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2016–2021
• Assistant Professor, Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, 2014–2016

Recent Grants

• Namkung, J. (Co-Director). Collaborative Intervention Design. Type A Leadership Program, Office of Special Education Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education, 2022–2027. ($1,243,558; Subaward). Collaborators: University of Tennessee Knoxville (Lead Institute), Texas A&M University.
• Namkung, J. (PI), Smith, W. and Peng, P. (co-PIs). Exploring Cognitive and Foundational Processes Underlying Pre-algebra among Students with and without Mathematics Learning Difficulties. Institute of Education Sciences, 2020–2025. ($1,399,534; subcontract with the University of Texas at Austin).
• Nelson, R. (Director), Namkung, J., Herbert, M., Goodrich, M., Saviano, M., and Loveall, S. (Co-Directors). Designing and Providing Effective Academic Interventions. Type A Leadership Program, Office of Special Education Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education, 2019–2024. ($1,918,418).