Tara Heikila

Tara Heikila — Faculty ; Assistant Clinical Professor, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership ; School of Education .

Profile Type:

Assistant Clinical Professor, Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

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Biography

Dr. Tara Heikila is a faculty member at Seattle University with more than 20 years of experience teaching mathematics across elementary, secondary, and university settings. She earned her Ph.D. in Mathematics and Science Education from Washington State University, where her dissertation explored the lived experiences of female mid-career middle school mathematics teachers through hermeneutic phenomenology and photovoice.

Her research focuses on teacher identity, retention, and curricular reasoning. She is currently part of a multi-state, National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded research collaboration examining how middle school mathematics teachers reason about curriculum and make instructional decisions. Her scholarly work extends internationally, including a research fellowship in Finland, where she engaged with educators and scholars in conversations about teaching, research, and the experiences of mathematics teachers.

Dr. Heikila is passionate about bridging research and classroom practice, preparing future educators, and fostering equitable mathematics learning environments where students develop confidence, curiosity, and a sense of belonging.

Outside of academia, Dr. Heikila enjoys camping with her family and their dogs, playing tennis, and cheering on her beloved Las Vegas Raiders.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Mathematics and Science Education, Washington State University
  • M.S. in Education, Western Oregon University
  • B.A. in Education, Western Oregon University

Courses Taught

  • EDLS 3820 Mathematics Instruction and Assessment
  • TEED 5114 Antiracist Practice and Sociocultural Theories of Learning
  • TEED 5220 Teaching for Social Justice I: Elementary Language, Literacy, & Mathematics Foundations

Publications

Koskey, K. L., Roth McDuffie, A., Fan, Y., Heikila, T., May, T. A., Teuscher, D., Dingman, S. W., Bostic, J. D., & Olson, T. (Submitted for publication). Adaptation of the Three-Step Test-Interview for Evaluating Response Processes and Consequences of Testing Validity Evidence. Journal of Methods and Measurement in the Social Sciences.

Heikila, T. (2025). Because I stay: Exploring the lived experiences of female mid-career middle school mathematics teachers (Publication No. 31847775) [Doctoral dissertation, Washington State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.

Heikila, T., Bonge, N.G., Webster, K., Teuscher, D., Roth McDuffie, A., and Dingman, S. (2023, October 1-4). Developing a Qualitative Data Analysis Process with a Multiresearcher Team. In T. Lamberg & M. Doss (Eds.), Proceedings of the forty-fifth annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. Reno, NV, United States.

Heikila, T. (2021). Teaching online can be sticky. The Oregon Mathematics Teacher, March/April, 31-33.

Heikila, T. (2019). News you can use: Thank you, CPM teachers. CPM Newsletter, 1-2. September issue.

Burton, L., Canady, L., Gribskov, J., Heikila, T., Miller, B., Paylor, J., Sipprell, J., Stitt, A., and Wiese, R. (2005). Go math history. The Oregon Mathematics Teacher, October/November, 32-35.