Tina L. Heafner

Tina L. Heafner is professor of social studies education in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and K–12 Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She directs the MEd in secondary education and the PhD in curriculum and instruction programs. She previously served as president of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and chaired the NCSS College and University Faculty Assembly. Her research and writing focus on effective practices in social studies education, with particular emphasis on online learning, technological integration, and disciplinary literacy. She is the author or editor of twelve books, including Beginning Inquiry: Short Texts for Inexperienced Readers in U.S. History, Seeds of Inquiry: Using Short Texts to Enhance Students’ Understanding of World History, and Exploring the Effectiveness of Online Education in K–12 Environments. Her work has been published in such journals as Teachers College Record, Educational Researcher, and Theory and Research in Social Education. Heafner received her PhD in curriculum and teaching from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

updated 2025