School of Education

Nancy Contrucci, Ph.D., began her 35 years in the field of education by teaching 16 years in general education and special education in programs from birth to three, preschool, elementary, middle, and high school. Her career in education led her to teaching in institutions of higher education for 19 years. Ten of these years she has taught at Azusa Pacific University’s Department of Special Education. It has been her privilege and joy to teach new teacher candidates working toward and completing their credential and Master’s Degree. Contrucci's research agenda is on strengths-based education and team building for collaboration. Her research focus is in the following areas: intentional use of strengths in teaching profession, teacher collaboration, and motivation of students. The purpose of her research is to demonstrate that when teachers apply their strengths in their classroom and identify and affirm K-12 students’ strengths, they will be more effective teachers and there will be greater student success. She and her husband were called to the mission field in 1993 as a teacher of missionary students and a missionary pilot for seven years. During this time, she started a new school and conducted classes for students in grades 1-7 in Irian Jaya, Indonesia.