Wendy Peia Oakes, associate professor at the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, is this year’s recipient of the 2024 Faculty Service Award.

• Named president for the Council for Exceptional Children’s Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders and the Division for Research.

• Served as editor and reviewer for multiple peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Applied School Psychology.

• Authored and co-authored over 100 publications and served as invited speaker for multiple national and international conferences.

An ASU alumna (‘09 PhD curriculum and instruction, focus on special education, emotional and behavioral disorders) and a seasoned educator with over 30 years of experience, Oakes’s professional career has been defined by outstanding dedication to students with disabilities. Her work has focused on examining issues of teachers' sense of efficacy, specifically related to comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered (Ci3T) models of prevention, classroom management and evidence-based practices for addressing the needs of children with the most challenging behaviors. 

Oakes is also part of a research team interested in ensuring schools have a free-access systematic behavior screening tool for the early detection of students experiencing internalizing and/or externalizing behavior patterns. She and her research team have examined the reliability, validity, and feasibility of a brief screening tool for use with students in grades K-12, and a companion tool for early childhood settings. 

Out of the classroom, Oakes serves her community through applied academic excellence. She has authored and co-authored over 100 publications and has been extensively involved with a number of national boards and committees focused on special education, including the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), where she has served as president for the CEC’s Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders and the CEC’s Division for Research.

Over the last year and a half, Oakes has also worked with district leaders and educational organizations to create new, accessible, flexible and personalized pathways for educators, specifically those focused on serving children, youth and families. Oakes and her team have established partnerships that enable these educators to earn their master’s degrees and teaching credentials through job-embedded coursework while working full time.

For her work and its impact, Oakes has received numerous accolades and awards. She has been the recipient of the Educator of the Year by the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, the Ted Carr Initial Researcher Award by the Association for Positive Behavior Support and the ASU Centennial Professorship Award, which recognizes outstanding leadership and instruction in and outside of the classroom.