Christine Briggs

Christine J. Briggs Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in Curriculum and Instruction and the Director for the Center for Gifted Education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She teaches graduate courses in gifted education, research design, capstone courses (action research), and a series of courses for the exceptional learner concentration for the doctoral degree in educational leadership. At the undergraduate level she teaches a course requiring all seniors in the teacher preparation program to complete an inquiry (action research) project within the second half of their yearlong residency placement. Within this course, students progress through the problem finding experience and presenting their findings within the course of a semester. This course is part of the pathway for Advance, the university’s undergraduate research initiative and supports our R1 status.

Her professional contributions include: publications in Gifted Child Quarterly, Urban Education, Gifted Child Today, Journal of Literacy and Technology, NASET, National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) publications, and an new book Agents of change: Guiding teachers to use inquiry to identify challenges and seek solutions published by Kendall Hunt. She presents at the National Association for Gifted Children's (NAGC) annual conference, Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), and Council for Exceptional Children Teacher Education Conference (CEC-TED), and Association for Educational Research (AERA), and Mid-South Association for Educational Research (MSERA). She serves as co-chair of the NAGC Curriculum Award for the past 20 years, is a member of the NAGC Awards committee and a member on the Council for Exceptional Children TAG Awards committee. She is currently on the board of Association for Gifted and Talented Students Louisiana (AGTSLA) where she holds the position of board secretary. She serves as a manuscript reviewer for the Journal for the Education of the Gifted and for Routledge Education Publications. 

Dr. Briggs was awarded the Louisiana Council for Exceptional Children Higher Education Professional of the Year award in 2018 and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor in the College of Education award for 2019-2020.

Ph.D. Educational Psychology, 2003
University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
Specialization Gifted Education and Talent Development
Other Areas of Concentration Multicultural Education Professional Development, Curriculum Development, and Elementary Education

M.A. Gifted Education and Talent Development, 1999 University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT.

B.S. Elementary Education and Special Education, 1978
Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX

Her research interests include supporting students of diversity and poverty to gain access to challenging and rigorous instruction, identifying ways to support new teachers to become problem finders and solution seekers, examining ways to support able readers in advanced reading opportunities, and examining the impact of using co-teaching practices in higher education.

Opportunities for Student Research/Collaboration:

Dr. Briggs facilitates undergraduate research Fall and Spring for all teacher preparation program students in their final semester of the program. Each explore an area of concern and conducts, completes an action research project, and presents their findings at a symposium or conference.

She facilitates graduate students in gifted education in the completion of their capstone project, the one of the final requirements of the Masters in Gifted education.

She facilitates doctoral students in the exceptional learner concentration of the educational leadership program in the completion of their qualifying paper and dissertations

• Briggs, C. J., Abington-Pitre, A. S., & Holt, L. (under review) Able readers: Discussion groups for engagement and enjoyment. Journal for Literacy Research.
• Briggs, C. J., & Wadsworth, D. D. (submitted) Collaboration, communication, & commitment: The three C’s of co-teaching in higher education.
• Abington-Pitre, A.S, & Briggs, C. J. (2020). E-books and reluctant readers: To engage or not to engage. Journal of Literacy and Technology.
• Briggs, C. J., & Wadsworth, D. D. (2019). Response to intervention: Do we have a shared understanding? NASET Issue 19.
• Beasley, J. G., Briggs, C. J., & Pennington, L. (2017). Bridging the Gap 10 years later: A tool and technique to analyze and evaluate advanced academic curricular units. Gifted Child Today, 40 (1). 48-58.
• Briggs, C. J. (2022). Agents of change: Guiding teachers to use inquiry to identify challenges and seek solutions. Kendall-Hunt.
• Beasley, J.G., Briggs, C. J., Pennington, L. (2015). Engaging and challenging curriculum: Supporting advanced and gifted learners. NAGC Select.
• Briggs, C. J., Reis, S. M., Eckert, R. D., & Baum, S. (2006). Providing programs for special populations of gifted and talented students. In J. H. Purcell & R. D. Eckert (Eds.), Designing services and programs for high-ability learners: A guidebook for gifted education (pp. 32-47). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
• Briggs, C., Bruce-Davis, M. Del-Favero, F., Holt, L., & Davis, T. (2023). Standard R.A.1: Content and pedagogical knowledge (Advanced Programs: Educational Leadership and Gifted). In T. Davis (Ed), University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Education & Human Development CAEP Self-Study (pp. 18-28 ). Submitted to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Washington, D.C.
• Briggs, C., Bruce-Davis, M. Del-Favero, F., Holt, L., & Davis, T. (2023). Standard R.A.2: Clinical partnership and practice (Advanced Programs: Educational Leadership and Gifted). In T. Davis (Ed), University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Education & Human Development CAEP Self-Study (pp. 38-44). Submitted to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Washington, D.C.
• Briggs, C., Bruce-Davis, M. Del-Favero, F., Holt, L., & Davis, T. (2023). Standard R.A.3: Clinical partnership and practice (Advanced Programs: Educational Leadership and Gifted). In T. Davis (Ed), University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Education & Human Development CAEP Self-Study (pp. 54-64). Submitted to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Washington, D.C.
• Briggs, C., Bruce-Davis, M. Del-Favero, F., Holt, L., & Davis, T. (2023). Standard R.A.4.: Program impact (Advanced Programs: Educational Leadership and Gifted). In T. Davis (Ed), University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Education & Human Development CAEP Self-Study (pp. 68-71). Submitted to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Washington, D.C.
• Briggs, C., Bruce-Davis, M. Del-Favero, F., Adams, M., Flint, T., Holt, L., & Davis, T. (2023). Standard R.A.5.: Provider Quality Continuous Improvement and Capacity (Advanced Programs: Educational Leadership and Gifted). In T. Davis (Ed), University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Education & Human Development CAEP Self-Study (pp. 82-91). Submitted to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Washington, D.C.
• Briggs, C., Bruce-Davis, M. Del-Favero, F., Holt, L., & Davis, T. (2023). Standard R.A.1: Content and pedagogical knowledge (Advanced Programs: Educational Leadership and Gifted). In T. Davis (Ed), University of Louisiana at Lafayette College of Education & Human Development CAEP Self-Study Addendum (pp. 24-37). Submitted to the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), Washington, D.C.
• Briggs, C., Bruce-Davis, M. Del-Favero, F., Holt, L., & Davis, T. (2023). Standard R.A.2: Clinical partnership and practice (Advanced Programs: Educational Leadership

• 2022-2025 Kathy Authement Prouet Memorial Endowed Professorship in Special Education (BORSF)
• 2022 Undergraduate research mentor – LEAF award.
• 2019-2020 Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award
• 2016- 2022 Kathy Authement Prouet/BORSF Memorial Professor in Education II
• 2018 Louisiana CEC Higher Education Professional of the Year Award
• 2018 University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• Outstanding Advisor Award
• 2016 University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• Outstanding Advisor Award
• 2015 University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• Outstanding Advisor Award