Professional Biography
Heather Hopkins teaches in the Urban Teaching Residency program at Penn GSE and in the Independent School Teaching Residency program for students who are seeking certification in a general education curricular area.
Dr. Hopkins is the Director of Special Education for the Urban Teaching Residency program. Since 2013, Dr. Hopkins has created coursework for certification in Special Education and developed the Special Education certification into an online program. She teaches all students seeking general education certification their coursework for working with students in the inclusive environment, and is the founder of the Urban Teaching Residency program’s VAST LIFE fieldwork experience.
VAST LIFE, developed in 2016, is a unique fieldwork experience that teams up 14 to 21-year-old students with moderate to severe disabilities with graduate students seeking certification in Special Education. The fieldwork experience works with the graduate students as they develop community-based instructional experiences around Penn’s campus and the city of Philadelphia, focusing on social skills training, pedestrian safety, travel training, currency exchange, functional “life skills” academics, and connecting deeply with the families of the adolescents.
In addition to her work with the Urban Teaching Residency program, Dr. Hopkins works with and teaches high school students who have moderate to severe disabilities. Her work in an inclusive high school greatly compliments her role at the Urban Teaching Residency program as she continues to be a practitioner in the field of special education.
Dr. Hopkins holds an Ed.D. (Education Leadership and Policy) from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.Ed. (Elementary and Special Education) from Beaver College (now Arcadia University), and a B.A. (Classical Vocal Performance) from Temple University.
