Dr. Ascetta earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from University of Oregon, her MS ED in Early Childhood Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and BS in Elementary General and Special Education from the State University of New York at Geneseo. Before pursuing her Ph.D. at University of Oregon, she worked in variety of settings with young children and early childhood teachers for over 10 years. She began as an early childhood special education teacher for young children who had experienced trauma. Prior to beginning her doctoral degree, she was an assistant principal at a Head Start program.