VCU Hosts Teacher Reading Academies
The VCU School of Education is helping educators across Virginia boost reading skills among disadvantaged students in Kindergarten through third grade. VCU is one of several institutions conducting Teacher Reading Academies under a $16.9 million grant from the Virginia Department of Education. |
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Photo Caption: Dr. Valerie Robnolt conducts a “Read-Aloud” for Richmond Title I teachers and assistant principals attending a Teacher Reading Academy in Clark Springs Elementary School. The VCU School of Education is helping educators across Virginia boost reading skills among disadvantaged students in Kindergarten through third grade. Since June 2005, VCU has hosted more than a dozen Teacher Reading Academies for nearly 230 teachers, special education teachers, teaching assistants, reading specialists, and, administrators. The academies are professional development opportunities that enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills so they can effectively teach young students to read. “The academies serve as a motivator for the teachers,” said Valerie Robnolt, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, who coordinates the academies with instructor Tammy Milby. “The teachers are very excited about what they are learning and are able to apply what they learn into their teaching.” The academies are part of a $16.9 million grant the Virginia Department of Education received from the federal Reading First program in 2003 to ensure all children are reading on grade level by the end of third grade. The grant also supports intensive and sustained training in effective reading instruction for all teachers and administrators in the state. VCU is one of several institutions conducting Teacher Reading Academies, which are based on materials produced by the University of Texas, Center for Reading and Language Arts, and modified for use in Virginia by the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education. Eight more VCU-led academies will be held in June.
Photo Caption: A VCU study is examining the role of today’s technology on student study habits, including whether their dictionary is on a book shelf or the Internet. The last time a comprehensive study on student study skills was conducted, a typewriter was what you called a desktop and a library card catalog was your Internet. Much has changed since 1984, when D.B. Rogers released his “Study/Reading Skills Checklist.” The checklist has been a valuable assessment tool for teachers to determine the variety of study skills used by their students, but it does not reflect behaviors and tactics for study used in the computer age. “The use of technology in schools has increased exponentially in the last 20 years,” said Dr. Joan A. Rhodes, Ph.D., an assistant professor in Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education. “It is time for a new study skills assessment instrument that reflects the 21st century and computer-based study tactics,” Dr. Rhodes, assistant professor Valerie J. Robnolt, Ph.D., and professor emerita Judy S. Richardson, Ph.D., are conducting the first major assessment of the role today’s technology plays in how students study. According to National Center of Educational Statistics, the percentage of schools with Internet access increased from three percent in 1994 to 87 percent in 2001. “In an educational environment in which there is more of an emphasis on electronic texts, educators must know and teach appropriate study skills for the 21st century,” said Dr. Robnolt. The Study Skills survey asks students to think generally about whether they use a particular skill/strategy, and how they use it with both electronic and paper materials. Like Rogers’ checklist, this survey is not meant to be exhaustive, but to stimulate a student to think about ways to study, and to help teachers know where to concentrate study tactics instruction. As they conduct the study, the authors have found that their own concept of study has not changed over time, but the way they study has. “We still need to study, and do so regularly,” said Dr. Richardson. “Yet, we each have found ourselves adapting to an electronic literacy environment in both our work and personal lives. Our study behaviors and tactics now include track editing for revising and responding to written papers, insertion of electronic comments into documents, highlighting, and writing remarks and notes directly on electronic copies.” Results of the study are expected later this year.
Photo Caption: (from left) VCU faculty representative Tammy Milby with teaching students Susan Rumans, Chris Tuck, Lindsey Covington, Hannah Castro, Ameila Voyt-Guigou, and Becky Bednar at the “Teachers of Promise Institute.” Only the best teacher candidates get into the annual “Teachers of Promise Institute” and this year six students from VCU were among those who did. Co-sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia Milken Educator Network, the institute offers an exemplary professional development program that focuses on advancing teacher quality and encourages new teachers to remain in Virginia. “As the VCU faculty representative at this event, I left with a renewed sense of hope and excitement about the future of our profession,” said Tammy M. Milby, an instructor in the School of Education’s Department of Teaching and Learning. “Our candidates were exceptional.” Representing VCU were: Becky Bednar, Hannah Castro, Lindsey Covington, "I was so blessed when the institute was over because it equipped me with the creative ideas and motivation to be a superior teacher," said Ms. Vogt-Guigou. Outstanding teacher candidates are selected from all 37 of the state’s approved teacher education programs, including the VCU School of Education, and are provided with award-winning mentors during their first year in the classroom. Participants are selected on a competitive basis and represent the commonwealth's most promising and gifted pre-service teachers. They must exhibit a strong commitment to their profession and demonstrate the traits necessary for an exemplary career in public education. The institute has been held at James Madison University for the past three years.
Photo Caption: At the Fourth Annual National Board Certification Pinning Ceremony, Stephanie Hooks (second from left), a teacher at John B. Cary Elementary School in Richmond, receives a pin from Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Jewell-Sherman as former Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Jo Lynne DeMary (second from right) and Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Fred S. Morton, IV. (far right), look on. Fair Oaks Elementary School Principal Wendy Krickovic (far left) served as Mistress of Ceremonies. The ceremony took place in January at the VCU Student Commons. A partnership the School of Education has with four Richmond-area school divisions reached a milestone in January when it presented its 100 th National Board Certification pin to a teacher who completed the year-long professional development program. Thirty-three teachers received pins for their accomplishments at a ceremony held in the VCU Student Commons, bringing to 104 the number of Richmond-area teachers who have been certified by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards since a VCU-led effort to certify more teachers began in 2001. The ceremony was attended by several state and local educators, including former Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Jo Lynne DeMary, Chesterfield County Public Schools Superintendent Billy K. Cannaday, Jr., Hanover County Public Schools Superintendent Stewart D. Roberson, Henrico County Public Schools Superintendent Fred S. Morton, IV, Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Jewell-Sherman, VCU School of Education Interim Dean Beverly J. Warren, and Fair Oaks Elementary School Principal Wendy Krickovic, who served as Mistress of Ceremonies. Also in attendance were more than 150 proud friends and family members of the newly certified teachers. The School of Education’s Center for Teacher Leadership – directed by Terry Dozier, Ed.D. – offers the National Board Certification Candidate Support Program to teachers in Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico and Richmond through the Metropolitan Educational Training Alliance. The alliance enhances the professional development and training of teachers, administrators, and other educational personnel. "The single most important action we can take to improve schools and student learning is to strengthen teaching,” said Dr. Dozier. “Teachers, even those who do not achieve, consistently report that the certification process is the best professional development experience of their career. National Board Certified Teachers report that the process has made them better teachers." National Board Certification is a voluntary professional development process that recognizes accomplished teachers who meet rigorous standards of performance. Offered through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, it is a professional certification increasingly used by states and local communities as a way to identify and reward exemplary teachers. A National Board Certificate attests that a teacher has met the highest standards established for the profession. Photo Caption: Dr. Andrew Beale Dr. Andrew V. Beale, a professor in the Department of Counselor Education, will retire at the end of the spring 2005 semester after 36 years of teaching at VCU. Originally from Norfolk, Va., Dr. Beale came to VCU in 1969 after earning his doctorate in counselor education from the University of Virginia. He received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has specialized in school counseling, parent education, and career development. He has earned many awards, including the 1988 Distinguished Teacher Award from the VCU School of Education, the 1998 William H. Van Hoose Career Service Award from the Virginia Counselors Association, the 1998 Charles P. Ruch Award for Excellence in Teaching from the VCU School of Education, and most recently the 2003 Outstanding Service Award from Virginia Career VIEW. Despite his many accomplishments, Dr. Beale says the greatest of these is the impact his students have made in the lives of the children they serve. “The Department of Counselor Education faculty and students have formed a great community that I will really miss,” said Dr. Beale. Dr. Beale hopes to return to VCU as an adjunct professor as early as 2007. Until then he will enjoy his place in Duck, tending to his tree farm in North Carolina, and spending time with his family, which includes his wife, two sons, their wives, and three young grandchildren.
Photo Caption: Dr. William Bosher A majority of Virginians think the decision on whether to open schools before or after Labor Day should be made by local school divisions and not the state, according to a new VCU poll which also shows fewer people think Standards of Learning tests are putting too much pressure on students. The Commonwealth Education Poll was administered by telephone to 803 adult Virginians from Oct. 17 through Oct. 27. It was conducted for the VCU Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute by the VCU Center for Public Policy/Survey and Evaluation Research Laboratory. The questions answered by respondents are subject to a sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The poll shows a slight majority, 51 percent, believe local school divisions should decide when to start the school year, while 45 percent believe the state should continue to set the date. If local school divisions wanted to open before Labor Day, 56 percent of respondents said they would be in favor. “Nearly 20 years after this law was adopted, debate continues in communities and legislatures in Virginia and other states that have similar laws,” said Commonwealth Educational Policy Institute Executive Director Bill Bosher, Ed.D., a former Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction. “While the focus of debate seems to be on setting the school calendar, in reality the issue is about local autonomy.” Under a 1986 law, school divisions must obtain a waiver from the state to open before Labor Day. Waivers are granted to schools that lost eight days of school in five of the last 10 years or have dependent, shared, experimental or innovative programs. In the 2004-2005 school year, 57 school divisions received waivers for inclement weather, 15 for dependent or shared programs, and seven for schools with experimental or innovative programs. A majority of whites, 55 percent, think local school divisions should set the opening date, while a majority of non-whites, 54 percent, think the state should set the date. By region, 71 percent of respondents in Northwest Virginia, 62 percent in the west, and 56 percent in the north think the date should be set at the local level. A majority of respondents in Tidewater (59 percent) and South Central Virginia (53 percent) think it should be set by the state. A majority of respondents in urban areas support the state setting the date, while those in suburban and rural areas and small towns favor the decision being made at the local level. When respondents were asked if the Standards of Learning tests are putting too much pressure on students, a declining majority – 51 percent – agreed. In 2004, 53 percent agreed; in 2002, 61 percent agreed. To graduate from high school with a standard diploma, students are now required to pass certain SOL tests. Sixty-three percent of respondents believe the requirement is appropriate, up from 59 percent in 2004. One main goal of the SOL testing program was to improve school accountability. Seventy-three percent of respondents either strongly agree or agree that the SOL tests hold schools accountable for student achievement, compared to 75 percent last year. “This result is consistent with past Commonwealth Education Polls,” said Dr. Urban. The poll also found that as budgetary pressures on state government decreased in 2005, so did the percentage of Virginians who feel current funding is not enough to meet school needs, according to a new Virginia Commonwealth University poll which also shows most Virginians prefer state control over setting school standards. While a clear majority of Virginians, 64 percent, believe current funding for schools is not enough to meet their needs, the percentage feeling this way has declined from 69 percent in 2004. Likewise, the percentage of those who feel funding is enough for schools to meet their needs is 26 percent, up from 20 percent in 2004. In another example of public support for education, 55 percent of Virginians said they would be willing to pay higher taxes to increase school funding while 38 percent are not. Despite fluctuations in economic conditions over the past few years, about six in 10 Virginians have consistently reported a willingness to pay higher taxes to increase funding for education since 2001. “Virginians continue to support increased funding for public education with sales tax as the preferred mechanism,” said Dr. Bosher. “While regressive in nature, this perhaps best serves those who have the greatest need.” The percentage of those who favor a personal property tax increase to boost school funding doubled from seven in 2004 to 14 percent in 2005, while the percentage of those who would instead prefer a sales tax increase declined from 58 to 49 percent. This could be related to the statewide sales tax increase soon after the 2004 survey was conducted. A majority of Virginians, 57 percent to 28 percent, favor budget cuts over a tax increase to meet education funding needs. The federal No Child Left Behind law has raised new questions about the role of federal and state government in education. The poll found that a majority of Virginians see responsibility for the schools as resting more with the state than federal government in setting academic standards, funding, testing to measure student achievement, and judging school performance. “While a majority sees the state as having more responsibility than the federal government in these areas, the results suggest that citizens are open to federal involvement in at least some aspects of the school,” said Dr. Urban. Eight of 10 respondents agree with the statement that “the federal government needs to make sure that states are held accountable for school performance.” At the same time, 86 percent agree that “state governments know more about the needs of the students and schools in their state than the federal government does."
Photo Caption: Ms Kay Oldaker-Shiltz VCU School of Education alumna Kay Oldaker-Schiltz has been named “Health Education Professional of the Year” for K-12 category, by the nation’s largest professional membership association for health educators. Oldaker-Schiltz, a Health and Physical Education instructor at Carver Middle School in Chesterfield County, Va., received the coveted award in April at the American Association for Health Education’s national convention in Utah. The association supports educators and other professionals who strive to promote the health of all people. The annual award is presented to one person who has made a substantial contribution as a practicing professional in the health education field, and recognizes those who exemplify the association’s vision of enriching the depth and scope of health-related activities in schools and promoting universal health. Candidates must have a minimum of five years of experience in their field and demonstrate leadership, volunteerism and service to the profession. Oldaker-Schiltz received a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education K-12 from VCU in 1979 with endorsements in first aid and driver’s education.
Photo Caption: Dr. Terry Dozier (center) meets with University of Aberdeen faculty When Terry Dozier, Ed.D. accepted an invitation last fall to share ideas and experiences with education leaders and university faculty in Scotland, little did she know her two-week visit would make big news in the country’s leading education newspaper. “Clinton touch for Scotland” in big bold letters headlined a half-page article in the “Times Education Supplement” of Scotland, a weekly publication similar to “Education Week” in the United States. A teaser on the front page read “Teachers, stupid! Clinton Advisor tells Scots what makes the difference.” The article featured a photograph of Dr. Dozier in discussion with four faculty members from the University of Aberdeen, and described her as “the classroom teacher who became President Bill Clinton’s education advisor.” “A lot of the people I talked to really wanted to know about Clinton,” said Dr. Dozier, who served as Senior Advisor on teaching to Clinton’s secretary of education and is now director of the Center for Teacher Leadership in VCU’s School of Education. They also were interested in her work with the Metropolitan Educational Training Alliance – a partnership among VCU and public schools in Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties and the city of Richmond – that was formed in 2001 to meet the professional development and training needs of teachers, administrators and other educational personnel. Later this year, the University of Aberdeen hopes to send a delegation to VCU to learn more about what the School of Education is doing to strengthen kindergarten through 12th grade teaching. If you have not visited the School of Education’s Web site lately, take a look at the new and improved www.soe.vcu.edu. Photo Caption: The new www.soe.vcu.edu “The new site is light years ahead of the technology we used just three to five years ago and incorporates the latest in Web architecture and design principles,” said School of Education Webmaster Jigar M. Patel. Mr. Patel and School of Education Director of Technology Gary W. Sarkozi, Ph.D., have updated and added hundreds of new pages, resulting in a site that is easier to navigate and communicates who we are – one of the top education schools in the nation. The redesigned home page features a photo of the downtown Richmond skyline, which illustrates the working environment of our students and faculty. To the left is the 9th Street Bridge spanning the James River – which complements our new slogan “Bridging Opportunities.” Click on “VCU” to visit the university’s main home page or “ School of Education” to return to our home page. Under the photo is the main navigation bar, which highlights the many new and improved features of our Web site, including a pictorial faculty/staff directory, alumni and planned giving sections, and department home pages. Check the “Announcements” column periodically for important dates or to submit an announcement of your own. Use the “SEARCH” box to limit your search to the School of Education. Another exciting new feature is the monthly e-newsletter you are reading. Its purpose is to let you know what our faculty and alumni around the world are up. Want to submit a news item, letter, compliment or complaint? Contact editor Mike Frontiero at addresses below. Subscribe by replying to the e-mail notice you received or click “Subscribe” at the top right corner of the e-newsletter. You will be notified when the next issue has been posted to our Web site. Or, take no action and this will be the only issue you receive. We would love to hear from you so let us know what you think! Mike Frontiero The e-Newsletter is a monthly publication of the VCU School of Education. |
