Profile

Dr. Bridget K. Hamre

Research Associate Professor and Associate Director of CASTL

Bio

Bridget Hamre, Ph.D. is an Associate Research Professor and Associate Director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning (CASTL). Dr. Hamre’s areas of expertise include student-teacher relationships and classroom processes that promote positive academic and social development for young children and she has authored numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts on these topics. This work documents the ways in which early teacher-child relationships and teachers' social and instructional interactions with children support children's development and learning and may help close the achievement gap for students at risk of school failure. With Drs. Robert Pianta and Karen La Paro, Dr. Hamre authored an observational measure for classrooms called the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS™). She leads efforts to use the CLASS as an assessment and professional development tool in early childhood and other educational settings. Most recently, Dr. Hamre has engaged in the development and testing of interventions designed to improve the quality of teachers’ interactions with students– including MyTeachingPartner™ and coursework (traditional and online). Dr. Hamre received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and her masters and doctorate in clinical and school psychology from the University of Virginia.