Gina Riley

Gina Riley, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Special Education, Educational Psychologist, Program Director of the Adolescent and All Grades Special Education M.S.Ed. program, and Faculty Director of ACERT, Hunter College’s Academic Center for Excellence in Research and Teaching. She has conducted significant research on homeschooling and unschooling, an educational philosophy that emphasizes intrinsic motivation as a primary means for learning. In addition to her research on self-directed learning environments, Dr. Riley has specific expertise in adolescent special education and Supported Decision Making, promoting autonomy and self-determination for individuals with disabilities. In 2023, Dr. Riley was awarded a four-year grant from the New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities to develop an inclusive decision-making curriculum for students in grades K-12. That curriculum, translated into multiple languages, is now used throughout the United States and internationally. Dr. Riley has extensive experience in online, hybrid, and HyFlex education, having been actively involved in the field since 1998. Her contributions to educational psychology, online learning, and alternative education models have been influential in shaping contemporary discussions on intrinsic motivation, self-determination, and personalized, flexible learning approaches. She is the author of dozens of academic articles and three books, including Unschooling: Exploring Learning Beyond the Classroom (Palgrave MacMillan, 2020), The Homeschooling Starter Guide (Simon & Schuster, 2021), and The Joys of Self-Determined Learning: A Collection of Essays (Ricci Publishing, 2022). Dr. Riley is the current President of the New York State Association of Teacher Educators.

• Ph.D. in Psychology, Walden University, Minnesota, 2012.
  • Dissertation: Differences in Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness between Home Educated and Traditionally Educated Young Adults
• M.S. in Psychology, Walden University, Minnesota, 2003. Concentration: Educational Psychology.
  • Thesis: An Ethnographic Study of Intrinsic Motivation in Homeschoolers
• B.S. in Psychology, Mercy College, New York, 1999. Summa Cum Laude

Dr. Riley has taught every course within the Adolescent Special Education Program, including:

• SPED 700.50: Social, Historical, and Philosophical Foundations
• SPED 701: Assessment of Students with Learning Disabilities
• SPED 771: Methods of Teaching Reading for Adolescents with Disabilities
• SPED 772/774: Supervised Clinical Teaching of Students with Disabilities
• SPED 773: Methods of Teaching Math for Adolescents with Disabilities

Dr. Riley’s research agenda is deeply rooted in the exploration of learner-centered approaches to education. Her work is driven by a commitment to understanding and fostering intrinsic motivation in educational and real-world contexts, grounded in Self Determination Theory (SDT) and Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET) (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000). She is particularly interested in how these theories can be applied across various educational settings, including homeschooling, unschooling, online and hybrid learning in higher education, and within the context of Supported Decision Making for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Books

• Ricci, C. & Riley, G. (2026 – in press). The Ungraded Classroom: Feedback, Reflection and the Future of Learning. Toronto: Ricci Publishing.
• English, R. & Riley, G. (2026 – accepted). Democracy Reimagined – Transforming Education Through Democratic Schooling. London: Bloomsbury Academic Publishing.
• Riley, G. (2026 – accepted). Unschooling: Exploring Learning Beyond the Classroom. (2nd edition). New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
• Riley, G. (2020). Unschooling: Exploring Learning Beyond the Classroom. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Riley, G. (2021). The Homeschooling Starter Guide. Simon & Schuster
• Ricci, C. & Riley, G. (2022). The Joys of Self-Determined Learning: A Collection of Essays. Toronto: Ricci Publishing.

Book Chapters

• Riley, G. (2025 – in press). The Role of Homeschooling and Intrinsic Motivation in Higher Education and Career Success. In College Professors Who Homeschool. Williams Publishing.
• Riley, G. & Brickel, N. (2025 – in press). Restoring Autonomy: The Evolution and Implementation of Supported Decision Making in New York. Oxford University Press.
• Riley, G. (2020). The Academic and Social Outcomes of Those Who Have Homeschooled. In Global Perspectives on Home Education in the 21st Century. Hersey, Pennsylvania: IGI Global.
• Riley, G. & Riley, B. (2021). A Unique Education: Unschooling to Adulthood. This is Homeschooling: Stories of Unconventional Learning Practices on the Road and In Nature. New York: Routledge.
• Riley, G. & Rivera-Wilson, J. (2023). HyFlex K-12: A Hybrid and Flexible Learning Option Given the Appropriate Circumstances and Conditions. In Brian Beatty’s HyFlex and Flexible Course Design. https://edtechbooks.org/hyflex.

Peer Reviewed Publications

• Gray, P. & Riley, G. (2013). The challenges and benefits of unschooling, according to 232 families who have chosen that route. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, Volume 7, Issue 14.
• Riley, G. (2015). Differences in competence, autonomy, and relatedness between home educated and traditionally educated young adults. International Social Science Review, 90 (2), 1-27.
• Gray, P. & Riley, G. (2015). Grown unschoolers’ evaluations of their unschooling experience: Report I on a survey of 75 unschooled adults. Other Education, Volume 4, Issue 2, 8-32.
• Riley, G. & Gray, P. (2015). Grown unschoolers’ experiences with higher education and employment: Report II on a survey of 75 unschooled adults. Other Education, Volume 4, Issue 2, 33-53.
• Riley, G. (2015). Entries on Altered States of Consciousness, Christian Counseling, Creativity, Dr. Phil McGraw, Luminosity, and Reality TV. Published in Moglia, P. (Ed). Psychology and Behavioral Health. New York: Grey House Publishing.
• Riley, G. (2015). Entries on Buying Local, Networking, Teen Parenting: Becoming a Mother, Sleep, and Finding the Right College and Paying for It. Published in Moglia, P. (Ed). Adolescent Wellness. New York: Grey House Publishing.
• Riley, G. (2016). Unschooling in Hong Kong: A case study. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning. 10, 1-15.
• Riley, G. (2016). The role of Self Determination Theory and Cognitive Evaluation Theory in home education. Cogent Education. 3, 1-7.
• Riley, B. & Riley, G. (2017). Innovation in graduate medical education: Using a competency based medical education curriculum. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. 23, 36-41.
• Riley, G. (2017). Worldschooling: Homeschooling away from home. International Journal of Education. 9, pp. 186-191.
• Riley, B & Riley, G. (2017). Using simulation to assist in treating the patient who is transgender. Journal of Medical Education and Training, 1, 19-20.
• Riley, G. (2018). A qualitative exploration of the experiences of individuals who have identified as LGBTQ and who have homeschooled or unschooled. Other Education, 7 (1). 3-18.
• Riley, G. (2018). Unschooling: A direct application of Deci and Ryan’s Self Determination Theory and Cognitive Evaluation Theory. European Journal of Alternative Education Studies, 3 (1), 54-61.
• Riley, G. (2018). Exploring unschoolers’ experiences in learning to read: How reading happens within the self-directed learning environment. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning, 12 (24), 1-33.
• Riley, G. (2019). Supported Decision Making: Mentoring Manual. SDMNY.org
• Riley, G. (2021). Defining Hybrid Homeschools in America: Little Platoons by Eric Wearne (Book Review). Other Education, 10 (2), 71-73.
• Gray, P., Riley, G., Currie-Knight, K. (2021). Former students’ evaluations of experiences at a democratic school: Roles of the democratic processes, staff, and the community of students. Other Education, 10 (2), 4-25.
• Riley, G. (2023). Unschooling students with disabilities. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning. 17 (34), 1-23.
• Schnell-Peskin, L, Riley, G., Hodnett, K., Gryta, V., Kisamore, A. (2024). Meeting the needs of students in higher education multigenerational classrooms: What can educators do? International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 41, 73-85.
• Woods, M. & Riley, G (2025, in review). Unschooling in Hong Kong: A Ten Year Follow Up. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning.
• Riley, G. (2025, in review). Exploring Ad Astra: A qualitative study of alumni experiences and outcomes. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning.
• Riley. G. (2025). Review of Joyful Learning: How to Find Freedom, Happiness, and Success Beyond Conventional Schooling. Journal of School Choice, pp. 1 – 2.

• CUNY Online (2024 – 2025). All Grades Special Education Online Development Grant – Asynchronous P – 12 SPED MSEd Program ($45,290).
• NYSED/CUNY (2024 – 2025). CUNY Special Education Grant to support P12 Special Education Program Development ($32,795).
• Interfaith America (2025) (with Dr. Nicole Bennet and Dr. Vicki Lens) AASCU Pluralism Cohort Grant. ($25,000).
• Recipient (along with Kristin Booth Glen, Michael Stiller, Michelle Ballan, and John Brown) of a New York State Developmental Disability Planning Council Grant to develop and pilot Supported Decision Making models for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (1.4 million dollars over 5 years, 2015 – 2021, extension 2021 – 2022, renewed 2022 – 2025). Became a legal alternative to guardianship in New York State in July of 2022.
• PSC – CUNY Grant (Traditional A, $3,500). Grant Project Title: How Unschoolers Learn to Read (2015)
• Supported Decision Making Curriculum Committee Grant (2017) ($3,000)
• Faculty Innovations in Teaching with Technology (FITT) Grant (2017) Creating Interactive and Dynamic Online Options (with Professor Kristen Hodnett) ($3,500).
• Faculty Innovations in Teaching with Technology (FITT) Grant (2019) Video Supervisory Training for Students in an Online Teacher Education Program -including OER module. ($3,000)
• New York Community Trust Grant (with Hon. Kristin Booth Glen) (2019) Training Adolescent Special Education Students in Supported Decision Making Facilitation. ($5,000)
• PSC – CUNY Grant Cycle 52 (Traditional A, $3,500). (2021).Grant Project Title: Unschoolers with Disabilities
• New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (NYS DDPC). (2022 – 2028). Grant Title: Creating a Decision-Making Curriculum for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) in K-12th grade. ($200,000 per year for 4 years – $800,000 total).