Mary Beth Ressler

Mary Beth Ressler, PhD, is a professor of Education and Environmental Studies, where she has taught since 2010. With five years of experience teaching English, Speech, Theatre, and Journalism at the high school level, she brings a strong practitioner’s perspective to her work in teacher preparation and interdisciplinary education. She is committed to student voice, critical inquiry, and meaningful community engagement.

Dr. Ressler’s research focuses on culturally responsive pedagogies that affirm students’ identities, honor linguistic and cultural diversity, and uphold high academic expectations. She is particularly interested in how educators and school and district leaders can design inclusive learning environments that cultivate belonging, agency, and authentic engagement. Her work emphasizes the interconnectedness of identity, culture, and wellbeing in supporting student success.

In addition, drawing from her roots of growing up on a farm, Dr. Ressler is deeply interested in environmental education, especially as it relates to agriculture, sustainability, and place-based learning. 

Selected Scholarship

King, K., & Ressler, M. B. (2026). Promising Equity Practices for District Leaders. Emerald Publishing. 

King, K., Ressler, M. B., & Escobar, A. (2023). Infusing Culturally Responsiveness and Social Emotional Skill Development into the Preparation of Transformative Educational Leaders. In Equity & Access An Analysis of Educational Leadership Preparation, Policy, & Practice (p. 29). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

Ressler, M. B., King, K., Flynn, J., Apantenco, C., & Wexler, L. (2023). “What are you?” The Impact of Racism and White Supremacy on Pre-Service Teacher Mental Wellness. Whiteness and Education. 

Nelles, G., & Ressler, M. B. (2023). Youth eco-consciousness and environmentalist identity development at a summer camp. Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 19(2), 11. 

Ressler, M. B., Apentenco, C., Wexler, L., & King, K. (2022). Preservice Teachers’ Mental Health: Using Student Voice to Inform Pedagogical, Programmatic, and Curricular Change. Action in Teacher Education, 44, 252–268. 

Ressler, M. B., Ressler, J. D., & Gordon, B. (2021). Preparing New Zealand’s Teachers to Use Culturally Responsive Relationship-Based Pedagogies. International Journal of Teacher Education and Professional Development, 5, 1.7

Courses Taught

EDUC 322 Equitable Learning Environments, EDUC 360 Content Area Literacies and Assessment, EDUC 494 Residency Seminar, ENVI 255 Agriculture and the Environment