She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University, where she focused on interdisciplinary curriculum development within literacy and arts education. Her research interests include interconnected, interdisciplinary, foci: (1) Teacher Education and Instructional Practice; (2) Visual and Cultural Literacy; (3) Art Education; and (4) Social Justice as curriculum. Dr. Cornelius is author or co-author of a book chapter and journal articles in art education and curriculum theory. She holds a B.F.A. in Communication Design and M.Ed. in Elementary Education from Texas State University.