Eric Bernstein

Associate Professor

Expertise: Simulations; Social Justice; Professional Development; K-12 Leadership; Health Professions Education

Educational Leadership

---

Academic Degrees:

Ed.D., Educational and Organizational Leadership, The University of Pennsylvania
J.D., The University of Connecticut School of Law
B.S., Business Administration, The University of Connecticut

Biography:

Eric Bernstein is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership in the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. Dr. Bernstein holds a joint appointment with the School of Dental Medicine, where he is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.  He also currently serves as an ethicist on the UConn/UConn Health Stem Cell Research Oversight Committee. In a collaborative project with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, Dr. Bernstein served for several years as the Associate Director of the Penn Educational Leadership Simulation (PELS) Program and continues to serve on the advisory committee for that program.  Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Connecticut, Dr. Bernstein was at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education, with extensive experience in online and distance learning graduate degree programs focused on teacher and leadership preparation.  Before entering higher education, Dr. Bernstein worked as a middle school math and social studies teacher, a middle school assistant principal, and a middle and high school principal.  His research interests include professional learning and development–including the use of simulations for pre-service and in-service educational leadership development, professional education and curriculum development, ethics in leadership and healthcare, school discipline policy and social justice in education.

Selected Publications/Presentations:

Bernstein, E. (2020). Law, Ethics and Teacher Social Media: Don’t Lose the Forest. Presentation at the Future of Education Technology Conference, Miami, FL.

Bernstein, E. (2019). Meatball Leadership: Leading During Massive and Rapid Change, Extreme Turbulence, and Chaos. Presentation at the Conference on Educational Leadership, National Harbor, MD.

Bernstein, E. (2019). Failure is Not an Endpoint. Presentation at the Conference on Educational Leadership, National Harbor, MD.

Bernstein, E. (2019). Informed Consent: Process and Practice in the Context of Office-Based Oral Surgery. In Office-Based Maxillofacial Surgical Procedures (pp. 125-141). Springer.

Bernstein, E. & Lazzarini, Z. (2019). Medicolegal and ethical considerations in oral surgery by the general dentist. In Evidence-Based Oral Surgery (pp. 103-125). Springer.

Bernstein, E. (2018). Leading with Perspective: It’s All Relative. Invited presentation at the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Fall Conference, Ocean City, NJ.

Bernstein, E. & Johanek, M.  (2014).  Perceived Value of Embedding Simulated Problems of Practice Into Educational Leadership Development Programs—Initial Findings.  Paper presented at University Council for Educational Administration Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, November 22.

Yuknis, C. & Bernstein, E. (2017). Supporting students with non-disclosed disabilities-A collective and humanizing approach. In K. Aquino & E. Kim (Eds.), Disability as Diversity in Higher Education: Policies and Practices to Enhance Student Success (pp. 1 – 11). New York: Routledge.

Bernstein, E. (2017). Creating Structures for Learning and Understanding: Schemata and Mental Models. Presentation at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session, Long Beach, CA.

Bernstein, E. & Parker, W. (2017). You Can’t Change Your DNA–How Our Race Impacts Social Justice Discourse Engagement in Schools. Presentation at the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.

Bernstein, E. & Ende, F. (2017). Knock-Knock: Exploring Laughter to Empower Leadership and Learning. Presentation at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Anaheim, CA.

Bernstein, E. (2017). One ethics lens for empowering learners in our schools. Invited presentation at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Anaheim, CA.

Bernstein, E. (2017). Empowering Learners, Learning, and OUR Ethical Education Practice. Invited presentation at the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Fall Conference, Ocean City, NJ.

Nestler, E. & Bernstein, E. (2016). Dean’s Afternoon – An Adventure in Interprofessionalism. Poster presentation at the Association of American Medical Colleges Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.

Bernstein, E. (2016). Introductory Simulated Patient Interactions–A Cost-Effective, Scalable Option Drawn From Educational Leadership Preparation for Use in Early Patient Interaction Experiences. Presentation at the Association of Standardized Patient Educators (ASPE) 15th Annual Conference, Tampa, FL.

Bernstein, E. (2016). Strategies and Systems for Engaging Learners in Synchronous Online Learning. Presentation at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session Tech Expo, Denver, CO.

Bernstein, E. (2016). The Educator Triad of Creativity. Invited presentation at the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association Fall Conference, Ocean City, NJ.

Bernstein, E. & Yuknis, C. (2015). Gaps in Support for Students with Disabilities: Reconceptualizing Approaches to Disabilities through Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Presentation at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, Denver, CO.

Bernstein, E. (2015). The UConn School of Dental Medicine Teaching & Learning Seminar Series. Presentation at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Annual Session, Boston, MA.

Bernstein, E. (2015). The Right Accountability for Closing Real Life Outcomes Gaps. Invited presentation at the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Houston, TX.

Bernstein, E. (2014). “But I Wasn’t Even Acting Black” Internalized Racial Microaggression in Black High School Students. Paper presented at American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.

Bernstein, E. & Johanek, M. (2013) Online Multi-media Branching Simulations to Promote Professional Learning Among PK-12 Educational Leaders. Paper presented at Sloan Consortium International Conference on Online Learning, Orlando, FL.

Bernstein, E. (2013). Hegemonic Mitigation and Racist Aggravation: Extreme Disparate Impact of K-12 Zero Tolerance Policies. Paper session presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Multicultural Education. Oakland, CA.

Bernstein, E., Johanek, M., & Parker, W. (2013).  Impacts on Practitioner-Scholars of Participation in the Collaborative Authorship of Educational Leadership Simulations.  Paper presented at University Council for Educational Administration Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN.

Bernstein, E. (2013).  The Use of Online Simulations For Problem-Based, Context-Rich Leadership Development Across the Educational Leadership Career Lifespan.  Paper presented at University Council for Educational Administration Annual Meeting, Indianapolis, IN.

Bernstein, E. (2013).  Blended, Peer-to-Peer Professional Development (P2P-PD) for PK-12 School Leaders.  Paper presented at SLOAN-C Emerging Technologies for Online Learning 6th Annual International Symposium, Las Vegas, NV.

Bernstein, E. (2013).  Enhancing District Leadership Through the Use of Online Branching Simulations.  Presentation at National Conference on Education, Los Angeles, CA.

Bernstein, E. (2013). Social Learning Through the Synchronous Use of Online Simulations. Invited presentation at Immersive Learning University Symposium, San Antonio, TX.

Bernstein, E. & DePasqua, J. (2012).  Why we ride the bus:  A model lesson on public school integration from Brown v. Board of Education to 2012.  Presentation at National Association for Multicultural Education Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.