LaShorage Shaffer

Dr. Shaffer has worked in early childhood/early childhood special education for over 20 years. She began her work in the field of education, working in an inclusive early childhood preschool program. She attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and earned her doctorate in Special Education. Dr. Shaffer is an Associate Professor in Early Childhood/Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in the Department of Education, joining the faculty in 2011. During this time working in the field, her experiences have included teaching (both young children and adults), mentoring, supervising, training, advising, evaluating, developing curriculum, evaluating courses, serving on advisory boards and committees, leading programs, engaging in research, and dissemination. While at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, she has led or co-led several research projects supporting the personnel preparation of professionals in both the educational and medical fields serving young children at risk for disabilities and those with disabilities and their families, culturally responsive practices, social-emotional development, challenging behavior, emotional/behavioral disorders, policy issues, and professional development. These projects included Engage Detroit: Best Classroom Project (current project), Michigan Personas, Early Literacy Partners, MDE: Improving Teacher Quality, Child’s Hope: IMPACT Read to Me, EarlyOn: Parents and Infants Playing. She has provided trainings for Head Start teachers, early interventionists, and other practitioners across Michigan. In addition, Dr. Shaffer has served on many committees and boards, including the Michigan Department of Education Workforce Advisory Group, Michigan Special Education Coalition, EarlyEdU Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Group, the University of Michigan Provost’s Council for Student Honors, Starfish Family Services, the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) at the national level as the President-Elect (current role), DEC Equity Leadership Team, and other division committees. She continues to learn firsthand from university students, young children, and families about the current realities in early childhood classrooms, in the community, and in homes. Dr. Shaffer frequently presents at local, state, national, and international conferences, sharing her research with a wide range of audiences.