Biography

Dr. Michael P. Mesa earned a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Learning Systems from Florida State University and completed an Institute of Education Sciences postdoctoral fellowship at the Children’s Learning Institute. Before joining CLI, he worked with the Florida Center for Reading Research and the Center for Children and Families at Florida International University. Dr. Mesa has taught undergraduate courses in educational psychology and classroom assessment and remains actively engaged in mentoring trainees and research staff. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at CLI, where he leads multiple federally and foundation-funded projects aimed at improving language and literacy outcomes for young children.

Dr. Mesa’s research focuses on maximizing learning outcomes for young students at risk of academic difficulties by integrating early intervention, educational psychology, and implementation science. His work examines when and how small-group instruction is most effective, including the influence of peer effects and group composition on learning. He also investigates factors that support effective implementation and how adaptations to instructional models can enhance feasibility and impact in classroom settings. Through this work, Dr. Mesa aims to generate practical evidence to inform the delivery and sustainability of interventions in educational systems.

 

Education

Graduate School
Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 2021
Fellowship
IES Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, 2021-2023

Areas of Interest

Research Interests

  • Early intervention for students at academic risk
  • Small-group instruction effectiveness
  • Peer effects and group composition
  • Implementation of instructional practices
  • Adaptations to improve classroom feasibility and impact
  • Evidence-based educational interventions

Publications

Mesa, M. P., Hernandez, J. A., Phillips, B. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2025). Peer effects in small-group language instruction. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 73, 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2025.07.007

Zucker, T. A., Mesa, M. P., Fumero, K., Duron, R., Cabell, S. Q., Logan, J., & Oh, Y. (2025). Initial Implementation Outcomes for Scripted and Adaptive Versions of the Developing Talkers Read-Aloud Curricula for Kindergarten and Grade 1 Teachers. AERA Open, 11. https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584251361052

Ahmed, Y., Mesa, M. P., Zucker, T. A., Fumero, K., Clay, M., & Duran, S. O. (2025). The role of artificial intelligence in modernizing multi-tiered systems of support. Theory into Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2025.2528541

Mesa, M. P., Hall, C., Zucker, T. A., Dahl-Leonard, K., Oh, Y., & Denton, C. (2024). Unpacking implementation: Fidelity and barriers to implementation of a kindergarten reading intervention by teachers. The Elementary School Journal. https://doi.org/10.1086/731257

DeMaster, D., Zucker, T., Mesa, M. P., Bambha, V., Espinosa, T., Trevino, G., & McCallum, C. (2024). Evaluating information-based vs. modeling media parental support on parent-child interactions during a preschool engineering activity. The Reimagining Equity and Values in Informal STEM Education (REVISE) Center. https://informalscience.org/evaluation/evaluating-information-based-vs-modeling-media-parental-support-on-parent-child-interactions-during-a-preschool-engineering-activity

Siegel, S. W., Hall, C., & Mesa, M. P. (2024) Aligning practice with research: Using small groups to differentiate instruction. Scholastic.

Zucker, T. A., Mesa, M. P., DeMaster, D., Oh, Y., Assel, M., McCallum, C., & Bambha, V. P. (2024). Evaluation of a community-based, hybrid STEM family engagement program at pre-kindergarten entry. Frontiers in Education. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1281161

Zucker, T. A., Mesa, M. P., Assel, M., McCallum, C., & DeMaster, D. (2024). Virtual Teaching Together: Engaging parents and young children in STEM activities. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1334195

Dahl-Leonard, K., Hall, C., Mesa, M. P., Zucker, T. A., & Peacott, D. (2024). Exploring small-group reading instruction for students at risk for reading difficulties in kindergarten classrooms. Reading & Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Difficulties. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2023.2298497

Mesa, M. P., Phillips, B. M., & Lonigan, C. J. (2023) Paraprofessionals use of classroom management in a small-group intervention. Psychology in the Schools. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22959

Surrain, S., Mesa, M. P., Assel, M., & Zucker, T. A. (2023). Does assessor masking affect kindergarteners’ performance on oral language measures? A COVID-19-era experiment with children from diverse home language backgrounds. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023

Dahl-Leonard, K., Mesa, M. P., Hall, C., & Zucker, T. A. (2023). Understanding kindergarten teacher self-efficacy for providing reading instruction to students who experience difficulties to read. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2023.2201424

Zucker, T. A., Mesa, M. P., Millner, K., Crawford, A., Topek, L., & Beem, M. (2023). Can anyone tutor students to read? Learn how anyone – from classroom teachers to college students – can help elementary students make gains in reading. Accelerated Early Reading Outcomes Report, Children’s Learning Institute at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. https://public. cliengage.org/tools/materials/aero-reading-program

Curriculum Vitae

Email the Children’s Learning Institute to request a copy.