Helen grew up in South Africa, where the inequities in education had a profound impact on her thinking about teaching and learning. She earned a BA (Honors) in Geography from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, in 1981. After immigrating to the United States in 1984, she earned an MA in Geography at the University of Miami in 1985 and a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at Penn State University in 1989. She is a member of the University of Minnesota Academy of Distinguished Teachers.