President, Edge Enterprises Inc.
Professor Emeritus, The University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning

Jean Schumaker, Ph.D., is the former Associate Director of the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning and a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas. She is also President of Edge Enterprises, Inc., a research and publishing company focusing in the area of special education. She has spent the last 45 years studying the problems of adolescents and developing educational interventions for them.

My Background and Interests
I grew up with a concern for children who need special help. One of my earliest experiences was organizing birthday parties for children with disabilities at the Matheny Medical and Educational Center in New Jersey. After the birthday parties were over and all the decorations had been cleaned up, I spent additional time with the children, putting them to bed, talking with them, and singing to them. Through those experiences and others as a camp counselor, I found that I loved being with children and teaching them. I decided that I wanted to be a clinical psychologist, and I went to college and graduate school with that goal in mind. However, along the way, I got hooked on research! I’ve worked with children in schools, camps, group homes, hospitals, and clinical settings. Across all those experiences, I’ve learned that all children can learn and can succeed. I’ve learned that if we hold high expectations for them and use special teaching techniques, they usually meet those expectations. I continue to do research with the goal of helping teachers teach and students learn.

Edge Enterprises