Debbie Metcalf has worked in partnership with Pitt County Schools and East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina, as a special educator and intervention specialist for Pitt County Schools. She has served as teacher-in-residence in the department of curriculum and instruction at East Carolina University for over 20 years. Currently, she teaches methods courses and works in the classroom with undergraduate preservice teachers and graduate students seeking alternative teacher certification. Metcalf holds a Master of Arts in Education degree from San Diego State University and is certified in both general and special education, including assistive technology. She became a National Board Certified Teacher in 1997. In 2004, she received the Clarissa Hug Teacher of the Year Award from the International Council for Exceptional Children. She serves on the Council for Exceptional Children board of directors and is active in the Division of International Special Education and Services. For more than three decades, Metcalf has taught students of all ages in California, New Mexico, Hawaii, Michigan and North Carolina.

She continues to mentor new teachers and has frequently led staff development sessions. Her primary research areas include access to the general curriculum for students with exceptionalities, collaborative teaching models, alternate assessment models for diverse learners, curriculum design and revision, service learning and international partnerships.