Dr. Devon Brenner

Dr. Devon Brenner is director of the Social Science Research Center and professor of teacher education in the College of Education at Mississippi State University. Brenner’s research focuses on rural teacher recruitment and retention and rural education policy and practice . Brenner is PI on the NSF-funded collaborative research grant Teacher Preparation for Rural Teacher Persistence and Retention (TPR)2, a collaboration with 14 rural serving institutions across the US and on the NSF-funded collaborative research grant S-STEM Research Hub: Rural Low-Income Students Investigations Network Groups, which will develop capacity to conduct rural post-secondary education research for STEM faculty at rural serving higher education institutions to understand the systems that support rural student retention and completion in post-secondary education. Brenner recently co-authored the rural teacher education textbook,Teaching in Rural Places: Thriving in Classrooms, Schools and Communities. Brenner coordinates the Mississippi Education Policy Fellowship Program, a state chapter of a national program that trains education leaders to engage in education policy and advocacy and is president elect of the National Rural Education Association.

Areas of Expertise: 

Rural education, rural education policy, teacher preparation, equity, literacy