Assistant Professor
Academic Degrees
Rachel Bowman, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in UMW's College of Education and serves on the board of the Virginia Council for Exceptional Children (VA-CEC). She began her teaching career in 2011 as a special educator and teacher of the Deaf, working in public schools across New York City, the District of Columbia, and Arlington, VA.
Dr. Bowman's research primarily explores new teacher mentorship as a strategy for retaining a diverse teaching workforce. She previously founded and directed a statewide culturally sustaining mentoring program for new special educators in Virginia through VA-CEC. Her research interests also include special educator retention, the persistence of Black special education teachers, the Universal Design for Transition, and the collaboration of related service providers.
Dr. Bowman has published her work in peer-reviewed journals such as Exceptional Children, Teacher Education and Special Education, The Urban Review, and Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals. She has also contributed book chapters focused on mentoring, teacher retention, and the Universal Design for Transition.