Sandra Pech, Ph.D.

Following graduation from Heidelberg College in 1983 my educational career began with 10 years of teaching in the Alliance City Schools, Alliance, Ohio. During those ten years, I had the opportunity to teach second graders through fifth graders in various combinations. In 1987 I received my Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Akron University. The arrival of our first child and my husbands’ work related transfer to North Carolina in 1994 lead to my involvement with infants through 5 year olds in a preschool setting where I was the director of a Mother’s Morning Out program. After returning to Ohio in 1999, I taught at the preschool level for two years and later was invited to become a supervisor for Kent State University’s Early Childhood Education program where I facilitated college students who were completing their student teaching at the pre-k and primary levels. Following six years of supervising, I decided to pursue a Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction in order to return to the classroom as an educator. I was a graduate assistant, and an instructor until my graduation in May 2010.

I am currently an associate professor for Kent State University at Tuscarawas and am the coordinator of the Bachelor of Science in Education (BSE) program in early childhood education. I began as the coordinator of the program when the 4 year BSE was added to the 2-year associate's degree during the fall of 2009.  

My research interests include curriculum development in the primary grades and inquiry based learning. I am interested in the  integration of content as well as teacher-student interactions that support both the academic and social-emotional interactions at the primary grade level. 

Teaching Licenses held

K-8 Certification: Fall 1983-June 2024

Literacy Endorsement K-12: Fall 2001-June 2024