2010 Curry magazine

Spring | 2010

Curry’s Productive Partnership with Southwest Virginia

Also Inside: Adolescent Development Center Ramps Up Curry Gets Kudos from Education Secretary Duncan Eduwonk Blogger Rotherham Reconnects with Curry

Curry School of Education Foundation Staff

Curry Magazine Staff

Executive Director Margaret Ann Bollmeier

Writer/Editor Lynn Bell

Director of Foundation Operations Jane Buck

Contributing Writers Audrey Breen, Rebecca P. Arrington, Anne C. Hayes,

Director of Development Jay Jackson

Fariss Samarrai, Laura Hoffman, Morgan Estabrook

Director of Development Communications Lynn Bell

Designer Roseberries

Graduate Student Intern Anne C. Hayes

Photographers Tom Cogill, Dan Addison, Lynn Bell, Bill Booz, Peggy Harrison, Jane Haley, Bob Shifflett

Please visit us and view this publication online at http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/foundation

Spring | 2010

Magazine of the University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Volume 5, Number 1

FEATURES

departments

4 Curry Partners with Southwest Virginia

The Dean’s Message 3

The Curry School has enjoyed a long and productive relationship with education and human services professionals in the coalfield region of Virginia.

Alumni News 32 Faculty Notes 48

14 Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Foundation Report 56

The Curry School’s research programs and outreach initiatives are making a noticeable impact.

26 Curry around the globe

15

Curry faculty and students take advantage of international opportunities to teach and learn.

56

20

16 Facing page: All Curry School students in the early childhood special education and alternate special education programs take a course called Positioning, Handling, and Self Care Skills.

Students taking this course learn to be teachers of children and adolescents with movement and tone difficulties that affect mobility, fine motor skills, and daily routines. This photo is from a class session held at the Kluge Children s Rehabilitation Center (UVA Department of Pediatrics) in which Marc Gilgannon, physical therapist, instructs Curry students on the proper way to assist someone using a wheelchair going up and down stairs. Also pictured are Professor Marti Snell (upper right) and students Allison Kennedy (left) and Hattie Gore (seated).

The Dean’s Message

An Abundance of Knowledge and Talent

The Curry School of Education, through our faculty, students, and friends, is endowed with an abundance of knowledge and talent, and using our expertise for the public good has been

Bob Pianta

the impetus behind many of the partnerships we have forged, especially within the Commonwealth.

We have enjoyed a special, decades-long relationship with the far southwestern region of the state. Hard hit by economic, social, and geographic challenges, southwest Virginia is blessed by a wealth of caring professionals who are committed to the education, health, and economic well-being of their neighbors. A number of these capable professionals are Curry alumni themselves, which reinforces our connections throughout the coalfield region.

This issue of Curry magazine features the many facets of our partnership with southwest Virginia. Research initiatives like the Southwest Virginia Early Language and Literacy project, for example, illustrate our commitment to evidence-based interventions that capitalize on the region’s existing resources. Curry also offers a number of academic programs, like the Education Specialist degree program described in this issue, as well as professional development courses for educators. These each provide opportunities for our faculty to interact with professionals in the field—a valuable context for integrating our research, practice, service, and policy-making missions. As our facility with distance communications technologies continues to grow, I foresee our work in southwest Virginia deepening and expanding.

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University of Virginia Curry School of Education

The Dean’s Message | Robert Pianta

This issue of the magazine is packed with many other

I am happy to say that the Curry School Foundation is

stories about the Curry School’s efforts to discover, create,

in excellent position to expand our fundraising objectives.

and change over the past year. You will see that the school

This issue introduces new Foundation executive director

continues to move forward with new outreach initiatives,

Margaret Ann Bollmeier, a highly capable development

innovative ideas for addressing educational challenges, and

professional with excellent credentials for leading our

groundbreaking research. Our faculty members are working

development efforts to the next level of success.

tirelessly to provide students with the best career preparation

Of course, within the limited space of an annual

possible, to reach out in service to children and families

magazine we are unable to share the full range of

across the nation and the world, and to advance knowledge

accomplishments across a school as diverse as Curry. By

within their own professions.

this time next year, we will have news about reforms in

You can also read in this issue about some of the

our teacher education program that are currently under

exemplary achievements of our students and alumni across

development, new efforts in higher education research,

the varied programs encompassed by the Curry School.

the burgeoning partnership with the new Batten School

Their professional excellence and passionate commitment

of Leadership and Public Policy, and the successes of the

to service never cease to make us proud.

Sheila C. Johnson Center for Human Services.

We are very excited that Bavaro Hall construction is

We will keep in touch throughout the year with our

almost completed. We are on schedule to move into this

progress and invite you to visit our Web site (http://curry.

beautiful and spacious new facility this summer. It is a dream

edschool.virginia.edu) or the Curry Facebook page anytime for

come true made possible by a number of loyal and generous

breaking news.

alumni and friends, to whom we are ever grateful.

Enjoy the magazine!

Exceptional generosity has characterized the broader fundraising campaign for the Curry School, as well.

Several years before I became dean, a fundraising goal of $55 million was set for the Curry Foundation. I am pleased to announce that we have already met that goal, two years ahead of schedule. We celebrate this accomplishment. In the school’s 110-year history, $55 million is a record-setting fundraising achievement.

Yet, our need for philanthropic gifts continues to grow, not only because of relentless state budget cuts but because of our ambitious new vision for Curry’s mission. During the final two years of the campaign, we will focus on raising support for students, faculty, and new program initiatives.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

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3

by Lynn Bell

A SWELL Partnership “You did it!” says Kim Austin from her perch on a toddler-sized chair.

Beside her, three-year-old Jake snaps ring-shaped manipulatives one on top of another, grinning with each success.

Austin, who is education director of Kids Central in Norton, Virginia, is taking a break from her administrative duties to hang out with the kids in the Early Head Start childcare center.

“You build one as tall as you can,” she prompts Jake, “and your friend builds one as tall as he can, and when you put them together it will be super tall! You want to try it?”

Despite the simplicity of positive verbal exchanges like this one, not all young children experience them regularly at home, says Paige Pullen, Curry School associate professor of special education. Yet, oral language is critical to a child’s early literacy development.

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University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Partners with Southwest Virginia

Curry Magazine 路 Spring 2010

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5

Partners with Southwest Virginia

Pullen designed the intervention and has collaborated with UVa-Wise faculty to train students to make weekly home visits with twelve families for an initial three-month pilot. They are educating parents about play-based opportunities to increase early language experiences such as storybooks, puzzles, crafts, and games.

Out of the hearing of the kids in childcare, Austin says that she is eager to expand the services for the families with whom her agency works, at least 90 percent of whom have incomes at or

Paige Pullen, Curry School associate professor of special education.

below the poverty line. Kids Central operates the federal Head Start and Early Pullen is lead researcher on a pilot project that aims to fos-

Head Start programs in several southwest Virginia counties,

ter more of these positive interactions between parents and

and families participating in SWELL were all identified by

toddlers in Wise County, Virginia. Called the SWELL Project

Austin’s office.

(for Southwest Virginia Early Language and Literacy), this re-

“They have a lot of struggles,” she says. “Sometimes lan-

search will be conducted through a partnership between the

guage and literacy development are not at the forefront of

Curry School, the University of Virginia’s College at Wise,

their concerns.” Many are good parents, she explains, but

East Tennessee State University, and Kids Central.

more pressing issues, like safety and nutrition, dominate

The years between birth and age four are critical for chil-

their attention.

dren, explains Pullen. A narrow window of opportunity exists

To assess the effectiveness of the home visits, Pullen uses

for laying the foundation of early language and literacy skills.

electronic recording devices for sampling the audio environ-

Waiting until children reach kindergarten to teach these skills

ment in the child’s vicinity. For one day every week during the

virtually guarantees that they will never catch up to their peers in reading and comprehension.

Through

education students at UVa-Wise are working with local toddlers who

the Department of Education at UVa-Wise, serves as project liaison between Curry, UVa-Wise, and local agencies like Kids Central. Each summer, Cantrell runs a free McGuffey-style reading clinic for local elementary students as part of an

reading failure and of

undergraduate reading diagnosis course.

cial education services due to poverty.

6

Jeff Cantrell, professor of education and chair of

are at increased risk of being identified for spe-

“A Groundbreaking Project”

SWELL,

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University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Partners with Southwest Virginia

The Curry School in Coeburn program period, children are wearing the device tucked inside the pocket of a specially made shirt. Once the record-

The Wise County town of Coeburn has three schools and, as of this year, three new assistant principals—all 2009 Curry graduates with Education Specialist degrees.

They were members of a twenty-three-person cohort participating in an off-Grounds administration and supervision program.

ings are made, Pullen will use language

Each a former teacher, Heather Sykes, Greg Jessee, and Rick Bolling were

environment analysis software that can

handpicked for this cohort by their school district as having potential to make good

distinguish between speakers and analyze the number of adult words the

administrators. All three agree, though, that they would not be in their new positions if the Curry School program had not been brought to southwest Virginia.

child hears.

“Our initial analysis will determine if the quantity and quality of adultchild language interactions increase for the families we have visited,” says Pullen. Their results will be compared to those of a control group of twelve other families who did not receive the extra home visits.

One representative from UVa-Wise on the SWELL team is Jeff Cantrell (M.Ed. ’87; Ed.D. ’91 Reading), professor of education and chair of the UVa-Wise Department of Education.

“SWELL is a groundbreaking project,” he says “Our faculty and students will be participating in interventions

“The program really prepared us to meet the challenges of administration. I’ve been able to deal with everything I’ve come across on the job so far.”

Greg Jessee Assistant Principal Coeburn High School

“The program was very hands-on practical.

I interned at all three Coeburn schools and got a little taste of everything.”

“This is the only way we could have gotten this degree. You can’t drop everything and drive five hours to U.Va. every week.”

Rick Bolling Assistant Principal Coeburn Primary School

Heather Sykes Assistant Principal Coeburn Middle School

that have great potential to disrupt the generational cycles of illiteracy and poverty.”

UVa-Wise plans to extend the benefits of the SWELL Project by including another round of home visits as part of the requirements of early childhood coursework for teacher education students during the fall semester.

The SWELL pilot was funded through the University’s

A New Model of Collaboration

T

he SWELL collaboration represents a new model for the University’s outreach to southwest Virginia—a model developed in response to the statutory obligation U.Va.

Office of the Vice President for Research and the Office

accepted in 2006 under the state’s Restructuring Act. The

of Economic Development, but once its success has been

agreement negotiated under the act grants the University

evaluated and revisions are made, the partnership will seek

greater financial and administrative autonomy in exchange

federal funding to expand the program throughout the

for addressing specific statewide goals.

coalfield region of Virginia.

One of those goals was to stimulate economic development in an economically distressed region in Virginia by addressing business support, access to health care, and K–12

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

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7

Partners with Southwest Virginia

education. The University selected the Virginia Coalfield

Project is a model because it capitalizes on the abundant

Economic Development Authority Planning Areas 1 and 2 as

expertise in the southwest Virginia region among the pro-

its formal partner, primarily because of the University’s exist-

fessionals at U.Va.’s College at Wise, at Kids Central, at East

ing relationship with UVa-Wise. The region selected includes

Tennessee State University, and in the public schools. In har-

the city of Norton and the counties of Lee, Scott, Wise,

nessing this expertise, we will see results that are significant

Dickenson, Russell, Tazewell, and Buchanan.

and, more importantly, sustainable.”

The University and the Curry School have been working in southwest Virginia for decades, according to Rebecca Kneedler, associate dean for external partnerships and international initiatives, but the Restructuring Agreement provided the impetus to form a more comprehensive effort across Grounds. “The Office of Economic Development has streamlined the process and allowed us to build stronger partnerships,” she says.

Curry Academic Programs in Southwest Virginia

T

he communities of the coalfield region are closer to six other state capitals than they are to Richmond. This mountainous, isolated area, with its significantly higher

Naturally, the University looks to the Curry School as the

levels of poverty and lower levels of educational attainment

primary, although not only, resource for K–12 education out-

than the rest of the state, is sometimes called Virginia’s

reach. Kneedler says that, as with SWELL, all of Curry’s new

forgotten region.

initiatives in southwest Virginia must be identified by the re-

Yet Curry School alumni can be found throughout

gion’s citizens, must match the strengths of Curry’s faculty

southwest Virginia, and many are education leaders. These

and mission, must harness the expertise of partners in the

professionals are highly committed to education and grateful

region, and must be replicable, scalable, and sustainable

for the quality of their preparation. When they identify needs

throughout the region.

that can’t be filled by more-local programs, they think first of

“The old model in which so-called ‘experts’ invade a

their alma mater.

geographical region is flawed in all the important ways that

Greg Killough (Ed.D. ’01, Admin & Supv), former super-

support sustained improvement,” she says. “The SWELL

intendent of Wise County Public Schools, is an example. Four years ago the Region 7 superintendents group realized that they faced a number

UVA at the SVHEC Representing the University School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the SVHEC as director of UVA Southwest Programs is Mary Quillen. A former middle school science teacer, Mary herself was a product of an early Curry outreach program, but one that required her to spend two summers in Charlottesville. “It was a wonderful experience,” she says. “My children were grown, and my husband was very supportive,

of

impending

administrator

retirements but would have few local candidates with the state-required qualifications to fill their vacant positions.

“We had a real need for a leadership development program in southwest Virginia,” says Killough, who is now

and I was able to take a leave of absence,” she explains, “but everybody can’t do that.

superintendent of Caroline County

Without these really excellent programs that Curry can bring to this region, our people

Public Schools. “A U.Va. degree would

don’t have an opportunity.”

bring prestige to those receiving the

Quillen says she came to SVHEC because she wanted to give something back and help provide opportunities for teachers like those she experienced.

master’s, and I wanted others to have that high degree of preparation I had received from the Curry School.”

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University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Partners with Southwest Virginia

Mary

“It’s a big deal to say you have a U.Va. degree,” he says. Paul

Quillen (M.Ed. ’89, Elem

Working

and his wife, Cindy, drove thirteen hours roundtrip last June

Ed), director of U.Va.

to get his photo in front of the Rotunda, diploma in hand.

Southwest

In December, he began a new job as an assistant principal in

the

with

Programs

Southwest

at

Virginia

St. Paul in Wise County.

Higher Education Center

This particular degree

(SVHEC) in Abingdon,

program was the first of

Killough spearheaded a

its kind offered in south-

grant proposal to the State

west Virginia in recent

Department of Education

years, says Quillen, but she

for funds to pay one-half

hopes it is not the last.

of tuition costs for either

Carol Grace (M.Ed. ’81,

a master’s or Education

Admin & Supv), Wise

Specialist degree. Quillen

County Public Schools’

represents the School of

director of elementary ed-

Continuing & Professional

ucation, agrees: “We need

Studies, which administers all off-Grounds academic pro-

top-of-the-line people to

grams. Before the grant was approved, she worked with Jim

take places of leadership

Esposito, associate professor in Curry’s administration and

in our schools. Programs

supervision program. He

like this are going to affect

reviewed

lives for years to come,”

Mary Quillen, director of U.Va. Southwest Programs at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon

applications,

Carole Grace, Wise County Public Schools Director of Elementary Education

approved the program de-

she says. “When [these new administrators] hire teachers

sign, and served as advisor

someday, they’re going to select teachers who are the best.”

to the twenty-three master’s degree candidates accepted to the cohort.

The Early Days of the Partnership

Paul Clendenon had been teaching science at

T

here was a time when more Curry faculty members regularly

Powell Valley High School

taught in degree programs in southwest Virginia. Marcia

in Big Stone Gap for fif-

Invernizzi, professor of reading education, remembers years

teen years. To him, the

in the late eighties to early nineties when she made regular visits

opportunity to earn a

to Smyth County in the University’s turbo prop plane, Wahoo

master’s degree had always seemed out of reach.

There was no way, he says,

Paul Clendenon, Assistant Principal, St. Paul, Va.

that he could leave job

One. She would be dropped off at Rural Retreat Airfield, she says, teach an evening class to a master’s in reading cohort, and be home in time to watch the 11 o’clock news.

and family for an extended period of time at any university.

Invernizzi and reading education colleague professor

When he was among the teachers identified by his district as

Mary Abouzeid also conducted several four-week McGuffey-

a potential future administrator, he jumped at the chance to

style summer reading clinics in the area, combined with

participate in the program.

classes for teachers in the master’s degree cohort.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

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9

Partners with Southwest Virginia

With Wahoo One, says Invernizzi, it was more feasible for

Reading Initiative and use the Phonological Awareness

Curry faculty to teach onsite in southwest Virginia. “A bunch

Literacy Screening (PALS) developed by Invernizzi and

of us would go and fill the plane up,” she says.

colleagues to assess students’ literacy skills and develop inter-

The end of University-sponsored air transportation in the

ventions. The PALS office in Charlottesville provides phone

early nineties was the beginning of innovation in distance tech-

and e-mail support to school personnel, and the PALS staff

nologies for the reading program, Invernizzi says. They began

has developed close relationships, especially, with Buchanan

teaching Curry reading education classes in the Engineering

and Tazewell county school divisions, says project manager

School’s Electronic Classroom, so they could broadcast them

Allison Drake. “They take advantage of our support, and we

via satellite to Wytheville Community College. “We pioneered

love to work with them.”

all of our ideas for distance learning and outreach to remote sites with southwest Virginia,” says Invernizzi.

Those early efforts later became Teaching Educators

Another frequent flyer on Wahoo One was Robert Pate, now a professor emeritus. He began going to the SVHEC initially to teach in a school counseling degree program.

McGuffey Practica Off-Grounds, or TEMPO, Curry’s major

Pate continued teaching courses in various programs at

outreach arm in reading education. Through McGuffey/

the SVHEC up through 2005—long after Wahoo One was no

TEMPO outreach, the reading program continues to of-

longer available to the faculty. What he most remembers is

fer credit and noncredit professional development courses

how rewarding it was to work with students there. “The people

through the SVHEC, as well as through other University re-

were so appreciative,” he says, “and you made a real differ-

gional centers across the state.

ence for people for whom there were no other options.”

Of course, school divisions in the coalfield region, like oth-

Professor emeritus Hal Burbach was also among the

ers across the state, participate in Virginia’s Early Intervention

many Curry faculty members who have taught courses in the region. He was first invited there to provide a master’s degree program in social foundations. Around 2000, he even offered a doctoral program

Communications Disorders Students on the UVA RAM Team

in higher education with the help of a

Three students from the Curry School communications disorders program

Ed.D. ’03, Higher Ed), vice president

spent a three-day weekend in Wise County last July for the annual Remote Area

for student life and dean of students

Medical (RAM) clinic.

Maggie Frye, Meredith Joyce, and Rachel Smay joined 240 University of Virginia

Todd Gambill (M.Ed. ’99, Soc Fdns;

at Georgetown College in Kentucky,

medical professionals from cardiologists, endocrinologists, audiologists, and dentists to

was one of the graduates of that off-

nurse practitioners and social workers.

Grounds doctoral program. “I sincerely

In preparation, students attended a three-day intensive training session to practice techniques, review clinical skills, and receive an overview of social work, patient education and health literacy issues.

Once in Wise, the students examined hundreds of pairs of ears and administered

appreciate the generosity of the faculty members who participated,” he says.

“They were willing to bring the U.Va.

hearing screens. “We also entered data and received information from patients for

experience to southwest Virginia, and

medical and registration purposes,” says Frye, a master’s degree candidate.

it afforded us an opportunity that we

Not only did they receive valuable experience in performing examinations, but they gained an appreciation for the region and its residents. “The vast gratitude and appreciation that all the patients showed to the volunteers was enough to instill in us the desire to make that long trip to Wise County again in years to come,” says Frye.

number of Curry faculty members.

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University of Virginia Curry School of Education

might not otherwise have been willing or able to have.”

Partners with Southwest Virginia

Larry Compton: Leadership in Action Haysi High School in Dickenson County is typical of many southwestern Virginia schools. More than 50 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced lunches.

Many of them still lack Internet access at home. School enrollment, which now stands at 282, is down around 20 percent from a decade ago, largely due to job losses in the coal mining industry.

Haysi High students are thriving academically, however, under the leadership of Larry Compton (M.Ed. ’99, Admin & Supv). “I want every kid to experience life and be prepared to live,” Compton says.

The school was the first in the county to make Adequate Yearly Progress and has repeated its performance for six consecutive years. Every classroom has a SMART Board. Students can earn up to forty-two college credits through onsite AP and dual-enrollment courses.

Gifted students have access through fiber optic lines to Governor’s School classes broadcast from the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center.

“Larry understands that his most important role is instructional leader,” says Jewell Askins (M.Ed. ’92, Reading; Ed.D. ’02, Admin & Supv), director of teacher education at UVa-Wise and a member of the Dickenson County School Board.

“Aspiring principals often complete leadership programs and then abandon the lessons learned. Not Larry,” says Askins. “He continues to use the knowledge he acquired at Curry as a framework for his practice.”

Compton himself graduated from Haysi High in 1969, then taught and coached there for twenty-seven years before earning his master’s degree. Since becoming principal in 2000, his goal has been to hire teachers “who are passionate about kids, who believe that every kid can learn, and who know how to use technology.”

Askins adds that Compton often employs the coaching demeanor he acquired during his years as the varsity basketball coach, urging his faculty and students to do their best and to be team players. “They listen,” she says, “because Larry models his message every day.”

“

I want every kid to experience life and be prepared to live.

”

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

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Partners with Southwest Virginia

Rachel Fowlkes: In the Beginning In the history of the Curry School’s outreach to southwest

Seeing the need for bachelor’s degree completion

Virginia, the beginning of the story is Rachel Fowlkes (Ed.D.

programs and opportunities for graduate degrees, she

’84, Admin & Supv), says professor emeritus Robert Pate.

envisioned a center bringing to the region a broader range

He makes that claim because the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon was Fowlkes’s

of programs than a single university could provide.

With the help of Del. Ford Quillen, who served the

brainchild—an idea that came to her while she served as

1st District from 1970 to 1993, the center was signed into

director of the University of Virginia’s Continuing Education

existence by the Virginia General Assembly in 1991. Fowlkes

Southwest Regional Center.

has served as its executive director ever since.

“Many of our high school graduates go to the

Fowlkes began tapping the Curry School for degree

community colleges in the region,” Fowlkes explains, “but

programs and courses even before the SVHEC was

only 10 percent of the region’s residents hold bachelor’s

established. “She is relentless in pursuing faculty from Curry

degrees. It’s not that they don’t value education, but they

to teach for her center,” says Dan Hallahan, Charles S. Robb

need it to be available at a time and place that fits their

Professor of Education. Hallahan co-chaired her dissertation

circumstances.”

committee with Lynn Canady when Fowlkes was in the doctoral program at Curry.

Fowlkes oversaw construction of an 89,000-squarefoot SVHEC education and conference complex, which was completed in 1998. The facility is a showplace of outreach to the Commonwealth, where courses not only are taught face to face but are also broadcast to remote sites.

“Rachel’s single focus has been providing opportunities for a better life to those in southwest Virginia through education and economic development,” says Leonard Sandridge, U.Va. executive vice president and chief operating officer. “No task is too big for Rachel.”

Fowlkes is always looking ahead to ways the center can better serve the region’s residents, and sees the Curry School as an integral contributor to the region’s progress.

“The center’s successful model demonstrates the efficacy of multiple partners working collaboratively to solve mutual challenges,” she says. “There is so much we can accomplish together.”

The Curry School Foundation recognized Fowlkes’s achievements with its Outstanding Alumni Award in 2002.

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University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Partners with Southwest Virginia

Ongoing Professional Development Opportunities

W

Curry School faculty members continue to reach out to the area and provide a variety of development opportunities for teachers.

hen Haysi High School ninth-graders enter their

sociate professor of social studies education, builds their

earth science classroom and see a star-filled night sky

teaching expertise through lectures and one-credit summer

lighting up the SMART Board, they are immediately

methods courses.

engaged, says Benjamin Collins, a second-year science

A workshop for teachers of foreign languages is led each

teacher in Dickenson County. That response, he notes, is

spring by Ruth Ferree, assistant professor of foreign lan-

markedly different from the response of the kids during

guage education. Teachers meet on the UVa-Wise campus

his first semester of teaching. That first fall he struggled

and learn about new technology-based resources to try with

with explaining some important astronomy concepts in the

their students.

curriculum. On the Standards of Learning test his students

Last fall the PALS staff conducted a professional devel-

took at semester end, the astronomy sections had lower

opment session in Buchanan County for teachers involved

scores than other science subject areas, he says.

in the Virginia Preschool Initiative. They discussed ways to

In January 2009, Collins took a three-credit Space Science for Teachers course from the University of Virginia,

shape instruction around PALS data and how to create literacy activities for preschoolers.

taught jointly by Randy Bell, associate professor of science

Tisha Hayes, assistant professor in reading education, is

education, and Ed Murphy, associate professor of astrono-

trying out a new model of professional development with

my. It was a hybrid distance-learning course that included

first-grade teachers in Dickenson County via online video

three face-to-face workshop sessions, one of which was held

conferencing. After working with teachers to identify instruc-

in Abingdon.

tional goals for their students with reading difficulties, Hayes

“I could see the results almost immediately in terms of the SOL astronomy section in the spring,” Collins says. “I learned

can observe their teaching remotely and then engage with them in reflection and coaching.

so many different ways to look at things, which makes it easier to explain better to kids.” He also would never have known about Starry Night, the virtual planetarium software he now uses to teach about solar and lunar eclipses and phases of the moon. “The kids love it. They all want to come up to the board and see who’s going to get to interact with it first.”

Today, the SVHEC brings together resources from a dozen Virginia colleges and universities, so the Curry School is

Partners for the Long Term

A

ssociate

Dean

Kneedler

is

well

aware

that

the

opportunities to work in southwest Virginia often exceed Curry’s capability to respond. Distance is the primary

not the lone source of graduate degree opportunity in the

challenge, of course. “As we get better with online modules

region. Curry School faculty members continue to reach out

and distance education,” she says, “we’ll be able to offer more

to the area, though, and provide a variety of development op-

opportunities.”

portunities for teachers.

Kneedler says, though, that the Curry School is there for

For example, a collaboration between U.Va.’s Center for

the long term. “Curry benefits enormously from our part-

the Liberal Arts, UVa-Wise, and the Southwest Virginia Public

nership with southwest Virginia. The work we do with our

Education Consortium is working to create a cohort of histo-

colleagues in the region is what makes Curry relevant, and

ry specialists in the region. As teachers gain content expertise

we are enriched by these opportunities to work with commit-

from University historians, Stephanie Van Hover, Curry as-

ted, talented people.”

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 13

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Preventing Risky

Youth Behavior

S

moking, alcohol and drug abuse, obesity, gangs, bullying, eating disorders, sex, school dropout, speeding—the prevention of risky adolescent behaviors

like these is the objective of the new Center for Positive Youth

Development at the Curry School.

Established with a $4 million commitment from a major corporation last year, the aim for this multidisciplinary center is to become a national beacon on adolescence, both promoting healthy development and preventing major psychological

Patrick Tolan, professor in the Department of Human Services and director of the Center for Positive Youth Development.

and social problems. As a research and development nexus, the center will bring together faculty and programs from across the Grounds to work on these issues.

The Curry School itself has a long history of working to address adolescent well-being, with programs such as Young

At the helm of this ambitious undertaking is Patrick Tolan,

Women Leaders Program, the Virginia Youth Violence

professor in the Department of Human Services, who was re-

Project, and the M3 (Math, Men, Mission) program. Other

cruited to Curry last fall. Tolan brings twenty-five years of

research projects addressing in-school learning and commu-

research and practice experience, including ten years as di-

nity afterschool programs are ongoing, as well.

rector of the Institute for Juvenile Research and professor of

“I’m trying to understand both the potential of our ex-

psychiatry and of public health at the University of Illinois

isting capacity,” said Tolan, “and the problems the center

in Chicago. He is an internationally recognized authority on

should address, which are rarely simple.”

adolescence, families, violence, and prevention.

Because the issues of concern to the center are related

Tolan acknowledges that this is not the first or only effort

not only to youth but to families, communities, and school

to address adolescent issues. “A lot of capable people with

environments, Tolan is meeting with and listening to people

good hearts and strong minds have developed ideas about

in the local and regional areas who work with youth. He is

and efforts to help youth with these problems,” he says. “But

learning about what they perceive to be the most pressing is-

in many cases these good ideas and intentions didn’t really

sues, what resources are available or might be promoted, and

make a difference or couldn’t be scaled up to be useful. We

what the center can do to help.

need to do better.”

Tolan noted that by the end of this academic year there

This is one reason the center will focus on scientifically eval-

will be a request for seed fund proposals from U.Va. faculty,

uating the effectiveness of existing youth programs locally and

meetings on planned studies, and extensions of his current

nationally, as well as developing innovative efforts for Virginia.

externally funded research programs. One such study will en-

Tolan noted that his initial task has been to explore

gage 2,700 three- to five-year-olds and their caregivers to map

the considerable capability in the Curry School and across

the complex interplay of individual characteristics, family re-

Grounds to identify areas of existing interest and capacity for

lationships, and community factors influencing development

research related to adolescents. He is also hoping to recruit

of youth problem behaviors. The goal of the research is to

additional expertise.

help identify more-effective interventions.

—Lynn Bell

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 15

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

U.S. Education Secretary Speaks to Future Teachers at U.Va. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

students, gathered in the Dome Room of the Rotunda.

came to the University of Virginia on October 12, 2009, to

Duncan said he was addressing not only them, but also col-

deliver the first of three addresses to recruit an “army of great

lege students, professionals, military veterans, and retirees

new teachers” to close the achievement gap among students

who might consider teaching.

and help ensure the country’s long-term prosperity.

“There’s no question that our country needs you,” he said.

“Our children need you. Unlike earlier generations, you and your children will

“U.Va.’s Curry School is a happy exception.”

be competing for jobs in a global economy.” In America, education has always played a unique role. Citing Jefferson’s

“I can think of no better place to start recruiting teachers

views on a universal education that would “bring into action

than in Thomas Jefferson’s hallowed halls,” he told the capac-

that massive talent which lies buried in poverty in every coun-

ity crowd, made up mostly of Curry School teacher-education

try for want of the means of development,” Duncan said, “two

Photo courtesy of Secretary Duncan’s office

Secretary Duncan in the Rotunda Dome Room.

16 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

centuries later, we still haven’t achieved the dream. Thirty

a sixth-grade history teacher at Breckenridge Middle School

percent of students drop out or fail to complete high school

in Roanoke.

on time each year. That’s 1.2 million students.”

Ten days later, in his speech at Columbia University’s

“Jefferson thought that teaching, an educated citizenry,

Teachers College, Duncan referred to his University of

and public service are the cornerstones of a great democracy,”

Virginia visit and called the Curry School’s teacher education

Duncan said. “Unfortunately, good teacher training is lacking

program “top notch.”

today. It’s theory heavy and curriculum light. Many educa-

Then on November 18 in his remarks at the National

tion schools don’t prepare teachers for what awaits them in

Association for the Education of Young Children conference,

the classroom” or track their careers after graduation.

Duncan mentioned the Curry School again. This time he said

“I’m pleased to say,” he added, “U.Va.’s Curry School is a happy exception.”

he was “impressed” with the work of Dean Robert Pianta and colleagues at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and

Before Duncan spoke, U.Va. Executive Vice President and

Learning on developing an assessment “used in thousands

Provost Arthur Garson Jr. and Curry School Dean Robert

of pre-K classrooms that demonstrates that a teacher’s skill

Pianta welcomed the secretary and audience. Duncan was

in implementing curriculum makes the critical difference in

introduced by Virginia Teacher of the Year Stephanie Doyle,

Arrington student learning.” —Rebecca ­­

Brian Nosek Speaks at Ridley Lecture “Mind Bugs: The Ordinary Origins

over our own minds, Nosek provided several

cognition. In 2007

of Bias” was the topic of this year’s Walter

demonstrations of perceptual and cognitive

he received early

N. Ridley Distinguished Lecture. Invited

illusions. He also discussed the implications

career awards from

speaker Brian Nosek, associate professor

for diversity in science.

the International

in the Department of Psychology at

For example, more people implicitly

Social Cognition

the University of Virginia, delivered his

associate science with male than with

Network and the

presentation to a capacity crowd in the

female, even if they consciously reject

Society for the

Dome Room of the Rotunda on March 23.

the stereotype. Nosek and his colleagues

Psychological Study

Nosek described recent research

found that women who hold this implicit

of Social Issues.

The Walter N. Ridley Distinguished

indicating that conscious experience

stereotype more strongly are less likely to

provides an immediate, compelling, and

major in science fields or express interest in

Lecture Series, sponsored by the Curry

incomplete account of mental life. Much of

science.

School, the Chief Officer for Diversity and

perception, thinking, and action, he said,

Across countries, nations with stronger

Equity, and the Walter Ridley Scholarship

are shaped by mental activity that occurs

implicit science-equals-male stereotypes on

Fund, honors the first African American

outside of conscious awareness or conscious

average showed larger sex gaps in science

student to receive a degree from the

control. Therefore, judgment and action can

performance than nations with weaker

University of Virginia. Ridley graduated

be influenced unintentionally by factors we

implicit science-equals-male stereotypes.

from the Curry School of Education in 1953

do not recognize and may not value.

Illustrating his assertion that humans do not have complete access to or control

Nosek directs Project Implicit, an

with a doctorate in education and had a

Internet-based multi-university collaboration

distinguished career in higher education

of research and education about implicit

administration.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 17

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

The Art and Science of Sports Medicine

A

professiona ls

“Some of our speakers come back year after year,” she says,

Virginia and beyond will

like Tab Blackburn (M.Ed. ’72), vice president of corporate de-

soon gather at Ruffner Hall to learn

velopment at Clemson Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation and

more about the throwing shoulder and

clinic director of Sports Plus Physical Therapy in Manchester,

primary care sports medicine. These are

Georgia. Blackburn partici-

the themes of the thirty-eighth annual

pated in the first twenty-five

Art and Science of Sports Medicine

conferences and now returns

conference to be held June 9–11 at the

from time to time as a keynote

Curry School of Education.

speaker.

bout from

100

Susan Saliba, assistant professor in

“I return to honor my

Curry’s athletic training/sports medi-

two mentors, Joe Gieck and

cine program, and her colleagues in the

Dr. Frank McCue, and to

Kinesiology Department are preparing

support my university,” says

for the popular event. Not only will par-

Blackburn. “They are trail-

ticipants have the opportunity to hear

blazers in sports medicine and

“I return to honor my two mentors, Joe Gieck and Dr. Frank McCue, and to support my university.”

speakers from across the nation but they also will hear from

sports medicine education. I return to say thanks whenever

faculty researchers from the Curry School—like Saliba and

I can. Because of them I have had a most fantastic profes-

Jay Hertel—physicians from U.Va. Health Systems, and ath-

sional life.”

letic trainers from U.Va. sports.

McCue and Gieck are the major attractions for many

The conference was established in 1972 by sports medicine

Virginia alumni who attend, according to Saliba. A meeting

icons Frank C. McCue III and Joe Gieck to provide outreach

of the McCue Society, a philanthropic group that provides

to athletic trainers, physical therapists, and

scholarships for students in the field, is also

orthopedic surgeons who were interested in

held in conjunction with the conference.

sports injuries.

The conference is cosponsored by the

“Sports medicine was not really a recog-

following U.Va. units: the Curry School, In-

nized field back then,” Saliba says. “There was

tercollegiate Athletics, Orthopaedic Surgery,

very little science at the time, hence the name,

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neuro-

‘The Art and Science of Sports Medicine.’”

surgery, and Cell Biology. More information

The conference has grown over the years and

is available on the Curry School Web site:

now attracts a much wider audience.

http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu

Each year the conference brings to

—Lynn Bell

Charlottesville leaders in the field with expertise in the theme areas. “It so happens that many of the leaders in the field have been associated with the U.Va. program at some point,” says Saliba, either through the kinesiology program or through fellowships with Dr. McCue.

18 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Joe Gieck, Professor Emeritus of the Curry School, founded the Art and Science of Sports Medicine Conference with Frank C. McCue III in 1972.

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Mingling Math and Mentoring

A

lgebra readiness

that is focused on developing strategies,” he says, “rather than

is the focus of a new pro-

focusing on finding the right answer.”

gram for African American boys in central Virginia.

Called Mission

Math, (or

program

of Central Virginia, a group devoted to providing educa-

Men,

tional and financial support for young black male students.

the

Throughout the school year, the boys have continued meet-

developed

ing with their mentors, as well as participating in monthly

“M3”),

was

by Robert Berry, assistant

Robert Berry

professor

“Some kids may just need a boost to gain entry into algebra I.”

of

The boys were also assigned mentors from 100 Black Men

math learning sessions.

mathematics

Berry has conducted research on children’s computation-

education, along with Stan

al estimation, teachers’ mathematics content knowledge, and

Trent, assistant dean of di-

equity issues in mathematics education. One of his recent pub-

versity and equity, and Kateri

lications examined eight successful African American middle

Thunder and Oren McClain,

school boys who gained access to upper-level mathematics.

doctoral students in mathematics education.

“Some kids may just need a boost to gain entry into algebra I,” he says, and he hopes the ongoing support provided

“Access to advanced math-

by M3 will do the trick.

ematics courses in middle

Albemarle County Public Schools and State Farm are

school often determines whether students will have opportu-

partners of the program. This summer the program will be

nities to take advanced math courses in high school,” Berry

expanded to two sessions, one for the boys already in the pro-

explains. Yet, less than twenty percent of African American

gram and one for a new cohort. —Lynn Bell

eighth-graders take an algebra I course.

Research has also shown that the number of African American boys enrolling in upper-level mathematics courses during their high school years is decreasing. These are

30 Years for Summer Writing Program

the courses that serve as a gateway to col-

The Central Virginia Writing Project, housed at the Curry School of Education,

lege majors in science, mathematics, and

celebrated its thirtieth annual invitational institute last summer.

engineering, says Berry, all fields in which African Americans are underrepresented.

M3 kicked off a two-week math camp last summer with thirty-three fifth-, sixth- and sev-

The program features both a monthlong program and a two-week advanced institute and emphasizes writing and teaching skills for the twenty-one participants, who represent a range of grade levels, subject areas, and teaching experience.

“We embrace a ‘teachers teaching teachers’ model of professional

enth-grade boys in Albemarle County “Our

development, whereby teachers share their tried-and-true practices with

mantra is ‘early algebra’ not ‘algebra early,’”

colleagues while honing their own writing skills and expanding their teaching

says Berry. “We are not taking the algebra I curriculum down to the elementary level.”

The

program

encourages

algebraic

thinking in an age-appropriate manner, ex-

toolboxes,” said Jessica Matthews Meth, director of the Central Virginia Writing Project and an assistant professor in Curry’s curriculum and instruction program.

Professional writers help improve the participants’ writing, and the teachers share lessons that have worked in their own classrooms. The teachers write every day, give each other feedback, and revise articles for journal submission.

“We believe writing teachers should themselves write, so we engage in the

ploring its symbolic nature in everyday life

writing process under the guidance of mentor authors before exploring practical

contexts. “The boys engage in mathematics

strategies for getting kids to write more effectively,” Meth said. —Laura Hoffman

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 19

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Record-Setting, All-American, Discus-Throwing Doctoral Student illie-Jo Grant finished her track and field

B

All-East Region performer, a four-time all-conference honor-

career last summer as the Cavaliers’ first-ever four-time

ee in the discus, and a nominee for NCAA woman of the year.

All American in a single event. After taking barely a breath,

She also holds Virginia’s school records in the discus (56.07

the Curry School doctoral student in education policy then

meters) and the indoor shot put (16.15 meters).

moved on to conquering her dissertation proposal.

Grant has managed her outstanding athletic career si-

Grant qualified for her fourth All-America honors on the

multaneously with her undergraduate and graduate degree

final day of competition at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Track

work. Her time for completing her NCAA eligibility was ex-

and Field Championships last June. She is also a four-time

tended a couple of extra seasons due to injuries. Once she finished her master’s degree in social foundations, she still had eligibility left, Grant says, so she applied Jim Daves

Billie-Jo Grant

to Curry’s doctoral program in research, statistics, and evaluation—an area she chose because she is passionate about improving K–12 education.

Her dissertation study will examine school sexual abuse policies in Virginia, their implementation, and their effectiveness. Her interest in the topic began when she learned that a close friend had experienced educator sexual abuse in high school.

“It really opened my eyes to this,” she says, “and when I started talking about it, people started telling me their stories.”

The topic is a very difficult and sensitive one, says associate professor Walter Heinecke, Grant’s doctoral advisor, “but one that has gone unexamined for too long. It is a topic of significant public safety.”

Grant’s goal is to systematically examine current state and local policies and offer recommendations for policy improvements. A pilot study she conducted last year in Virginia indicates that many educators may be unaware of existing sexual abuse policies.

“She is deeply committed to her topic, and she is a very capable and determined individual,” says Heinecke, “a trait she carries over from her successful career in collegiate track and field.”

20 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

—Lynn Bell

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Where Have the Books Gone?

Reconceptualizing the Education Library

T

homas Jefferson once said that he could

space for educational innovation and community building, as

not live without books, but if he had enjoyed access to

well as scholarship.

twenty-first-century digital technologies, he may have

Scholarship remains a primary function of the space,

needed fewer printed volumes in his library. That’s the

but technology has changed the way today’s scholars work.

experience, at least, of the Curry School Education Library.

Most academic journals are now published electronically, as

The Education Library on Ruffner Hall’s third floor—

are large data sets. The majority of scholarly work can now

once the envy of other education schools—has undergone a

be accessed anytime, anywhere from a computer. Although,

major transformation over the past year. Gone are the shelves

for now, the books that formerly lined the shelves in the

of academic journals and rows of catalogued books. In their

Education Library have been relocated to Alderman Library,

place is something Ruffner has never had: a wealth of open

they are in the process of being digitized as well.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 21

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

They want the space to be available for exploring new ways of teaching and learning with digital technologies.

collaborative

learning,

mentoring,

and innovation in a dynamic and everchanging physical and virtual space.”

An advisory committee composed of students, faculty, administrators, and library staff has been working to reconceptualize the CLIC, and a number of possibilities are under consideration.

Using furniture and technology like interactive whiteboards, they hope to create spaces for larger group collaboration, spaces for smaller groups to work together, and spaces for individual study.

They also want the space to be available for exploring new ways of teaching and learning with digital technologies, says Glen Bull, professor of instructional technology—both at the graduate level and at the K–12 level.

“Education students can learn about these technologies at the same time

A small reference library and the children’s book collection

that they are using them for ongoing academic work,” he

remain in the space. Head librarian Kay Buchanan and refer-

says. “Teleconferencing and telecommunication capabilities

ence specialist Carole Lohman also maintain offices there,

can link the collaborative space to schools, as well.”

implementing an “embedded librarianship” model. Their role

The school has already invested in new equipment like

has now shifted from maintaining volumes to providing infor-

large flat-screen monitors to facilitate group study and col-

mation services to faculty and students.

laboration. Several faculty members have been working with

“The best research libraries are not measured primarily in terms of the number of volumes on the shelves,” says

and tables in the CLIC.

University Librarian Karin Wittenborg, “but on the availabil-

“We’re also working with some furniture vendors to let

ity of digital library collections and electronic resources, the

us try out different kinds of group-oriented furniture and

quality of interlibrary loan and delivery services, and the dis-

seating,” says Hampton. “Again, our intention is to provide

ciplinary and technological expertise of staff.”

students and faculty different options and to see what works.

In place of the physical collections, Curry now has some-

That way, when we make permanent plans for the CLIC when

thing very precious here at U.Va., points out Mark Hampton,

Ruffner Hall undergoes renovation, we’ll already have a good

associate dean for management and finance: “a large amount

idea of how to make the space work the way we want it to.”

of space in which all Curry faculty and students can inno-

The ultimate goal, he says, is for the CLIC to become a

vate.” Hence the third floor space has been renamed the

permanent part of academic life at Curry, and that the CLIC

Curry Library Innovation Commons, or CLIC.

itself will be designed, and eventually redesigned, by the very

“We envision a space that remains conducive to scholarship,” Hampton says, “but that also facilitates active and

technology vendors to place equipment like SMART Boards

22 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

people who use it. — Lynn Bell

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

>> News Briefs “Safe Schools” Grant The Curry School of Education is partnering with the Charlottesville and Albemarle County public school systems to implement a $6 million “Safe Schools/ Healthy Students” grant from the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice. The grant

“We in the Curry School are delighted to contribute to this new project, which is a tremendous opportunity to implement state-of-the art practices in an integrated and cohesive manner,” said Cornell, who also directs the Virginia Youth Violence Project.

Each year the Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant helps school systems nationwide create learning

create safe and supportive environments for students in the Charlottesville and Albemarle schools.

Compared to state averages, the community has a high rate of childhood poverty and juvenile delinquency, primarily concentrated in the city, and a high rate of children in foster care, child abuse investigations, and teen alcohol use in both the city and county. These prob-

“This new project is a tremendous opportunity to implement state-of-the art practices in an integrated and cohesive manner.”

will support efforts in promoting healthy childhood development and preventing violence and substance abuse in schools.

With this funding, the Albemarle and Charlottesville public school systems will create teams of professionals in every middle and high school to offer structure and support to students who are at risk for bullying, substance abuse, and behavior problems. These teams, comprising mental health clinicians, school counselors, and others versed in bullying prevention, mental health, and substance abuse, will work together to foster socially and emotionally supportive classrooms.

Education professor Dewey Cornell, an expert in school safety and youth violence prevention, and colleagues in the Curry School programs in clinical and school psychology will work in partnership with Region Ten to provide and supervise the mental health clinicians.

environments that are safe and healthy for students.

In applying for these grants, school systems are required to identify evidence-based interventions that match needs revealed by data collected about their students and schools.

Over the last decade, a collaborative effort in Charlottesville and Albemarle provided data on the community’s strengths, as well as gaps in the services needed to

lems have an impact on student learning and create a challenge for the schools and community as a whole, Cornell said.

Structure and support is the best place to focus efforts, said Cornell, the lead researcher on a large-scale Virginia high school safety study that examined school safety and violence prevention practices in 296 high schools throughout the state. The latest findings of the study are available online at http://youthviolence. edschool.virginia.edu. —Audrey Breen

Educating World Citizens The Curry School joined eight other academic institutions as a cosponsor of Mind and Life XIX: Educating World Citizens for the 21st Century. The conference was held last October in Washington, D.C., and featured the Dalai Lama, along with leading educators, scientists, and policy makers worldwide.

Conference organizers sought to promote research that explores the best ways to integrate emotional, intellectual, and social learning in the classroom.

Thirteen U.Va. doctoral students participated in the conference. “It was an incredible experience that has impacted me as an educator and a researcher,” said John P. Broome. “As a third-year Ph.D student in social studies education and civic educator, my research and teaching practices are vested in creating competent engaged citizens for the 21st century. This conference served as a true nexus of my interests and has provided a greater sense of legitimacy and need for my work.”

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 23

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Stimulus Funding Benefits Curry and U.Va. New grants totaling $1.2 million were awarded to Curry School researchers in 2009 through the federal stimulus program. In all, University of Virginia

Study Finds Gender Bias Gender bias appears to color the ratings students give their male and female

researchers have won $58.3 million in new federal stimulus grants, leading all other public

high school science teachers, according to

universities in the Commonwealth for this type of funding.

a study conducted by Robert Tai, associate

About two-thirds of that money is designated for biomedical research and comes

professor of science

from the National Institutes of Health, which received from Congress the biggest influx

education, and col-

of funds to stimulate research. U.Va.’s large, research-oriented medical center puts it at a distinct advantage within the state for winning medical and health-related grants, while

leagues from Har-

its extensive nonmedical research programs also attract substantial federal support. The

vard and Clemson

Curry School’s share is divided between the following three grant projects:

universities The study, pub-

n A $1 million NIH grant awarded

lished online this

to principal research scientist David Grissmer and senior scientist

Robert Tai

Andrew Mashburn, both of the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, will study

Andrew Mashburn

Science

Education,

examined college science students’ eval-

the connections between fine motor

uations of their high school biology,

skills and mathematical skills.

chemistry, and physics teachers. These

“Historically, motor and cognitive David Grissmer

year in the journal

development have been considered as relatively independently develop-

ing skills, but recent evidence suggests that they are inextricably intertwined,”

evaluations were categorized by gender of the teacher and gender of the student.

Male students rated female teachers significantly lower than male teachers in

Grissmer said.

The grant will create afterschool activities designed to improve fine motor skills for 300 kindergarten children in six to ten schools from throughout central Virginia.

all three scientific disciplines. However, female students rated only female physics

n Sarah Turner, professor of education and economics, received a nearly $400,000

teachers lower than their male counter-

grant from the National Science Foundation to research the impact of federal

parts. The study analyzed surveys of 6,994

stimulus dollars on hiring in science and engineering.

students at more than fifty colleges and

“The immediate focus of our research is on how the flow of stimulus funding to colleges and universities affects university hiring and staffing,” she said. “Because

universities across the United States.

the science and engineering labor market is much more globally integrated today

“The data collected for this study

than ever before, an important dimension of our work is to measure the flows of

came from the entire span of four-year

scientists and students to U.S. universities in response to the stimulus from around

colleges and universities, including small

the world.”

liberal arts colleges and large research

n A summer supplement in the amount of $16,755 to a previous NIH grant was awarded

universities,” said Tai.

to Dean Bob Pianta, Novartis Professor of Education. It provides summer research

The researchers found these biases

experiences through the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning for

even when accounting for elements such

undergraduate students and kindergarten teachers who teach science as part of their curriculum.

as students’ family support for learning science, academic performance, and

Since February 2009, when Congress passed the $787 billion federal stimulus package and designated $21.5 billion for research and development, 137 U.Va. projects have received stimulus funding from a variety of federal agencies.

—Fariss Samarrai and Audrey Breen

classroom experiences.

Both male and female teachers in each of the three areas appeared to be equally effective at preparing their students for college-level science courses,

24 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Curry across the Commonwealth and the Nation

Curry Tool on Smithsonian Website How are an elementary school student, the Dust Bowl

increasing their knowledge about the period, “Picturing the 1930s”

era, the Curry School of Education, and the Smithsonian American

enhances students’ visual literacy skills, Ferster noted.

Art Museum connected?

The Curry School’s collaboration with the Smithsonian began

All play a role in “Picturing the 1930s,” a new educational Web

under a 2007 grant from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, for which the

site created by the museum in collaboration with the Curry School

museum has provided art images as an impetus to explore social

and launched publicly in September.

studies and history. Through the grant, teachers developed lesson

Users of the site, many of whom are teachers and secondary school students, explore the 1930s through paintings, artist memo-

plans connecting art and history, which are now available on the Smithsonian site, Bull explained

rabilia, historical documents, newsreels, period photographs, music, and video in a virtual movie theater.

Using PrimaryAccess, a Web-based teaching tool developed at the Curry School’s Center for Technology and Teacher Education, visitors can select images, write text, and record narration in the style of a documentary filmmaker.

They can then screen their video in a virtual theater PrimaryAccess is the first online tool that allows students to combine their own text, historical images from primary sources, and audio narration to create short online documentary films linked to social studies standards of learning, said Glen Bull, co-director of the Center for

“PrimaryAccess offers teachers another tool to bring history

Technology and Teacher Education and professor of instructional

alive,” said Ferster, who pioneered the first digital nonlinear editing

technology.

system for film and video and has worked with documentary

Since the first version was developed in collaboration with

filmmaker Ken Burns.

U.Va.’s Center for Digital History and piloted in a local elementary

PrimaryAccess was also named by the American Association

school in 2005, more than 9,000 users worldwide have created

of School Librarians to its list of Top 25 Web Sites for Teaching and

more than 20,000 short movies.

Learning.

PrimaryAccess is designed specifically for teaching history. In creating digital documentaries, students embed facts and events in

See “Picturing the 1930s” at http://americanart.si.edu/ education/picturing_the_1930s.

a narrative context that can enhance their retention and under-

For more about PrimaryAccess, see http://www.primaryaccess.org.

standing of the material, said Curry School research scientist Bill

—Rebecca P. Arrington

Ferster, who developed the application with Bull. In addition to

the students’ college science grades.

problem for a science- and technology-de-

discovered in this research increase the

Thus, it appears that this bias in students’

pendent society such as ours,” Tai said.

urgency of gender-equity efforts at the

perspectives on their high school science

The

potential

for

this

bias

to

secondary-school level and offer more

teachers is specifically linked to gender,

negatively impact female students is great

insight into the source of the consistently

Tai said.

given that career choice often relies on

low number of females pursuing careers

“This type of negative bias in evaluation

students’ positive impressions of people

in the sciences, math, technology, and

leaves a pervasive negative perception of

in a profession, according to the study’s

engineering, Tai said.

females as ‘science people,’ which is a real

authors. The gender bias associations

—Rebecca Arrington

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 25

Carole Ann spreen

Curry around the Globe

Curry around the globe

A

s

our

little

descended

into

the

plane Lewa

Wildlife Conservancy last June, the green vegetation around

Mount Kenya gave way to a blanket of brown tropical grass below us.

After landing, Carol Anne Spreen, assistant

professor

in

the

social

foundations of education program; Clair Terni, an anthropology student; and I gathered our luggage. As a Toyota Land Cruiser stopped near us, Suzanna Rouse, a Charlottesville conservationist who now lives in the

James Ngundi (left) and his new Maasai friend, also named James.

Kenyan conservancy, slid out from the driver’s seat to greet us. A young man wearing traditional Maasai clothing and carrying a wooden club, loaded our luggage into the back of the Cruiser, aided by two men in green uniforms.

We rode back with Rouse and friends to her guesthouse, where we were based during our visit.

Building Partnerships in Northern Kenya This report comes from James Ngundi, doctoral student in the social foundations of education program.

Our major objective was to visit communities and schools in the region and to learn what interested faculty and students from across

teaching poor, nomadic, pastoral youths and for better teach-

the University of Virginia could do to help. Besides the com-

er professional development.

munity-based conservancies, we visited two primary schools

We seek to establish partnerships with local communi-

to see what teachers were experiencing and what their most

ties, leaders, and relevant agencies in northern Kenya and

pressing needs were.

work collaboratively with stakeholders in identifying the most

It became clear to us that education will be the key piece

pressing concerns from local perspectives. U.Va. students will

of the puzzle in dealing with the myriad environmental and

work with students from local institutions to conduct research

social challenges facing the Samburu, Somali, Rendille, and

and design projects and programs that address the issues.

other indigenous tribes in this region. Not only are they fac-

By the end of the week, we all felt our trip was successful.

ing a fast-deteriorating environment ravaged by traditional

We established great initial contacts, which we hope will lead

grazing practices and drought, but they need models for

to valuable partnerships with the Kenyan people. 

Curry Magazine ¡ Spring 2010

| 27

Curry around the globe

Curry Partners Expand Global Reach of PALS

due to technicalities such as changed user codes, which meant those kits could no longer be sold.

The PALS office recognized an opportunity to expand the program’s reach to benefit students and teachers in need in the developing world.

With support from the Patent Foundation,

T

he University of Virginia Patent Foundation, Curry School

the Curry School, and the Office of the Vice President for

of Education, and the Office of the Vice President for

Research, the PALS office was able to ship fifty-three litera-

Research teamed up to take an innovative reading assessment

cy screening kits to schools on the island of St. Lucia, where

tool to teachers in the developing world.

teachers had expressed an interest in adopting the PALS

Developed by Curry professor Marcia A. Invernizzi

program.

and colleagues in 1997, Phonological Awareness Literacy

In addition, PALS project manager Allison Drake traveled

Screening—or PALS—has become the gold standard for the

to St. Lucia in September to provide assessment training.

reading assessment of prekindergarten through third-grade

“These teachers are so enthusiastic and are doing so much

students. PALS assessment kits measure young children’s

with so few resources,” Drake said. “They were excited to

knowledge of important literacy fundamentals, such as pho-

learn which skills were most essential for children learning

nological awareness, alphabet knowledge, knowledge of letter

to read and really appreciated having the materials to assess

sounds, spelling, concept of word, word recognition in isola-

these skills in their students.”

tion, and oral passage reading.

Last year several PALS assessment kits became outdated

Drake met with thirty teachers from twelve island schools, training them to administer the PALS program and reviewing basic strategies for teaching early literacy skills measured

by PALS. Drake also met with St. Lucia’s minister for education and culture to discuss further potential collaboration between the schools and U.Va.’s PALS program.

“We are pleased to be able to support the efforts of the teachers in St. Lucia to promote early literacy among young children,” said Bob Pianta, dean of the Curry School. “PALS has proven to be a tremendous help to teachers in the United States, and this effort in St. Lucia is one more example of extending that help.”

Following her visit, Drake has kept in close contact with her St. Lucian colleague Francisca Jones Brice and the teachers who participated in her training sessions. Many of the teachers have expressed interest in continued professional development, and donations are currently being accepted to fund a return trip to St. Lucia this summer. In the meantime, the PALS office is working to make the PALS Online Score Entry and Reporting System available to teachers as a means of continued support online. —Morgan Estabrook Francisca Jones Brice, special education teacher at Vide Bouteille Primary School in St. Lucia participated in the PALS-K training and served as liaison to coordinate Allison Drake’s visit.

28 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Curry around the globe

Teacher PD in India The following report comes from Sonia Q. Cabell, postdoctoral research associate in the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning.

T

raveling through India last summer, I began to

grow accustomed to the sights and sounds around

me … the incessant beeping of horns, the crowded streets, the cows on major highways, the stunning architecture, the beautiful clothing. But there was one sight I could never get used to … the poorest children on the street begging for food and money.

I went to India with a team working with

Sonia Cabell (back row, far left) poses with teachers from the school at Rehoboth Home in Chennai, India.

Advancing Native Missions, a Christian nonprofit organization, and one of our objectives was to provide literacy

work well with the language barrier, and children did not

training to teachers. We visited an English-speaking school in

have the background knowledge to understand the content

southern India that was part of Rehoboth Home. The home

in some picture books. Despite the challenges, the teachers

cares for the poorest and neediest children. Some have been

were extremely gracious and eager to learn. They said that

abandoned by their parents. Many are unwanted children of

they were so encouraged that we were helping them and

prostitutes. Some had parents who have died of AIDS. Many

have since reported that the training has been useful to them

were living on the streets.

months later.

The home was started by an Indian woman named Malliga.

The most rewarding part of the experience was spending

There are over seventy children (infants to older teenagers)

time with the children. We read to them and played together.

in her care. Her school provides education to the children at

It didn’t take long to fall in love with them. It is amazing how

Rehoboth Home, as well as to the poor children in the com-

love transcends language and cultural barriers.

munity, who are otherwise denied access to schooling.

I believe that this is the start of an ongoing long-term re-

Nothing in my life had quite prepared me for this expe-

lationship with Rehoboth Home. I am committed to finding

rience. When I arrived in India, there were many times that

ways to bring professional development opportunities to the

I had to rethink with my team what exactly would work cul-

teachers of this school and am seeking other educators who

turally. For example, phonological awareness activities didn’t

would like to join me in this endeavor.

Curry in Cambridge In a brand new international program directed by professor Ellie Wilson, a cohort of four students in the Curry School masters in teaching program spent half of the fall 2009 semester in Cambridge, England. They were placed in two primary schools there as part of their Curry School fifth-year teaching associateship requirements. Pictured are (left to right) Abigail Quinn, Elizabeth Baar, Helen Bradford (Cambridge lecturer in education), Kaitlin Clear, and Hilary Rice. Another cohort of student teachers will head to Cambridge this fall.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 29

Curry around the globe

Omani Fulbright Scholar Studies at Curry

T

he reputation of Curry’s gifted

She has also enjoyed learning with Curry doctoral stu-

education program brought

dents in gifted education while auditing a class taught by

Fulbright

Visiting

Scholar

Carol Tomlinson, William Clay Parrish Jr. Professor. “Sharing

Fatma Al-Lawati to the University

an office with the students and getting to know them has also

of Virginia for a year of study.

been helpful to my work,” she says.

“Curry has been a wonder-

During her time at Curry, Al-Lawati is studying American

ful community for me to do my

university students’ perceptions of Muslim women’s rights.

research,” says Al-Lawati, who

“The media often misrepresent the rights of Muslim women,”

is a citizen of Oman. She chose

she says. “However, there are also misunderstandings between

Curry for her Fulbright study after earning her master’s de-

what are Islamic beliefs concerning women and what are be-

gree in early childhood education from Utah State University,

liefs derived from cultural teachings and values.”

Fatma Al-Lawati

followed by a doctorate in curriculum administration with a focus in gifted education.

She hopes her research will help people understand each other better and bridge gaps between different religious and

During her time here, she has worked with professor

cultural groups.

Carolyn Callahan and associate professor Tonya Moon. When

After completing her research in June, Al-Lawati hopes to

she has had questions, they have supported her study and

return to Oman and work for the Ministry of Education and

encouraged her to clarify her questions and strengthen her

teach part-time for Sultan Qaboos University in its education

thinking, she says.

department. —Anne Hayes

Curry Students Study Abroad in Southern Africa

P

eople, Culture, and Environ-

Two Curry School students participating in the course

ment of Southern Africa was

were Jonathan and Alžbeˇta Springer, both in the master of

the name of a new interdisci-

teaching degree program. Among the many schools they vis-

plinary course conducted last

ited were one in the Bushbuck region of South Africa, where

summer in South Africa and

they learned about the education of Mozambiquan refugee

Mozambique.

learners; and one in Mozambique, where their attention was

Focused on service learning Jonathan and Alžbe ˇta Springer

and community engagement in

“The course’s interdisciplinary approach provided a

international settings, the course

hands-on sense of how community, family, government, busi-

was led by Carol Anne Spreen,

ness, and environment impact education policy, students,

assistant professor in Curry’s social foundations of educa-

focused on the education of internally displaced persons.

teachers, and administrators,” said Jonathan.

tion program, and Bob Swap, research associate professor of

In addition to attending lectures facilitated by South

environmental sciences. Eighteen University of Virginia stu-

African scholars, the students visited the Soweto and

dents and three graduate teaching assistants embarked on a

Alexandria townships, the Rustenburg platinum mine, farm-

four-week trip to learn about the history, human rights, and

ers’ cooperatives, rural villages, and both the Origin Centre

critical issues facing Southern Africans and the world today.

and the Apartheid Museum. —Anne Hayes

30 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Curry School 2009 Homecoming Party

U.Va. Reunions Weekend—June 4–6 Classes of 1960, 1965, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005 For more information, visit www.alumni.virginia.edu/reunions.

TJ Society and Class of 1960 Reunion ­May 17-19 The Thomas Jefferson Society of Alumni encompasses all alums who graduated from the University of Virginia fifty or more years ago. At each year’s TJ Society Reunion, the Curry School honors its alums with a special luncheon and presentation by Dean Bob Pianta. At the upcoming TJ Society Reunion on May 17–19, the Class of 1960 will be inducted.

To attend the Curry School of Education luncheon on May 19, contact the Curry Foundation office at 434-924-0854 or curry-foundation@virginia.edu.

32 |

University of University of Virginia VirginiaCurry CurrySchool Schoolof ofEducation Education

Photo by Naomi Daniels

Alumni News

Veronica van Montfrans digging out hurricane buffer trenches for the sea turtle hatchery

Science Lessons Learned in Costa Rica “The turtles of Costa Rica have a great lesson to teach,” wrote Gavin, a Newberry High School senior, in his trip journal.

“Though a turtle can’t walk faster than one mile per hour in the sand, they can swim over one hundred miles a day. Life is not about how fast you go, it is about how far you go.”

R

eflections like this convince Veronica van Montfrans (M.T. ’07, Sci Ed) that taking her students on a Costa Rican field trip was more than worth the effort.

“Many times in the news, we hear about how

urban schools are hurting,” says van Montfrans, a biology teacher at Newberry High School in Florida, “but rural schools are hurting just as much. We are in the lower income bracket … and our dropout rate is very high because many of these kids are the breadwinners in their family and choose to

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 33

Photo by Gavin Johnson

Alumni News

cane farm, delivering school supplies to small local schools, meeting indigenous peoples, and observing jungle animals in the wild.

“I think a lot of people would look at life differently if they had my students.”

“Many

people

thought

I

was

crazy for trying something like this,” van Montfrans says. “This school, with only 500 students, had never sent students on an international field trip before.”

Van Montfrans believes the trip was beneficial for the students in many ways, but most of all in terms Leatherback hatchlings just after being released by van Montfrans’s students.

of their attitudes about science and environmental

conservation.

“They

have found a love of science,” she says. drop out to take care of their parents and siblings. But these

“They saw the facts and processes they learned in science

students are tough, and absolutely wonderful,” she adds.

class happening before their eyes.”

Last year, in only her second year of teaching, van

One student, she says, felt a deep connection to the con-

Montfrans proposed a Costa Rican ecomisson trip to her sci-

servation efforts for the leatherback sea turtles after he dug

ence classes—not just the typical field trip but one in which

up a nest for relocation. Another student always knew she

students would both learn and perform service.

wanted to work with animals, and this trip helped her focus

The economic downturn made fundraising tough in a

her interest on endangered animals. “Another student told

community where 50 percent of the students were already

me this trip helped solidify her love of biology and her goal

eligible for free or reduced lunches. Even so, nine of her

of pursing it as a career,” says van Montfrans. One student

students “fought tooth and nail,” she says, to raise money for

bought a brand-new camera before the trip and discovered

the trip.

he had an eye for nature photography.

For those who were able to go, their trip included ten

Since returning, the students have enthusiastically posted

days of firsthand learning about conservation of endan-

their pictures online, swapped stories, called friends, e-mailed

gered species, digging hurricane buffers on the black sand

families, and made presentations at school.

beaches, protecting turtle eggs, planting trees, hiking tropical forests, climbing a volcano, visiting an organic sugar

34 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

“I think a lot of people would look at life differently if they had my students,” van Montfrans says. “I know I have.”

Alumni News

Emmett L. Ridley Richmond, Va. Spouse’s name: Mary Children’s names: Elvin and Elecia Hobbies/Interests:

Fishing, travel, reading, cooking that

promotes health and wellness

College degrees: B.S. Virginia Union University, 1969; M.Ed. Virginia State University, 1974; Ed.D. Curry School of Education, 1977

Current Profession: Associate professor and director, Office of Institutional Planning and Assessment, Virginia State University His unit is responsible for advancing university planning, assessment, evaluation, and institutional research activities and for promoting and facilitating assessment at the unit level. He also serves as VSU’s accreditation liaison with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and

Words of advice to recent graduates: First and foremost,

Schools.

anyone entering the education profession should have an

What he loves about his job: First of all, I love working in higher

unyielding commitment to advancing student learning and

education. The opportunity to produce and use assessment

achievement. Few experiences can compare to the intrinsic

and institutional data to support informed decision making is

rewards of contributing to the growth and development of

very satisfying. Also, teaching a graduate course from time to

another human being through education.

time and promoting and supporting continuous improvement in student performance and the quality of academic programs

Last words: I was the first graduate fellow to work for the Curry

are particularly gratifying. I plan to return to teaching in the

School of Education Foundation. I will be eternally grateful

near future.

for the opportunity.

Curry School’s influence: I

count my experiences at Curry

among the most rewarding and enriching in my professional career. It was at Curry that I was introduced to the concepts of organizational change, improvement, and transformation. This body of literature and the value of research and scholarship in advancing the field of education were extremely beneficial and meaningful aspects of my graduate study.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 35

Alumni News

Professional Achievements and Personal Milestones 1960s

Vincent J. Tornello (M.Ed. ’76, Admin

1980s

& Supv) retired last spring after thirtyJoseph S. Renzulli (Ed.D. ’66, Ed Psych)

seven years as band director at

Governor Timothy M. Kaine appointed

received the 2009 Harold W. McGraw,

Charlottesville High School. The CHS

Lissa Power-deFur (M.Ed. ’76; Ph.D.

Jr. Prize in Education for his guiding

bands under Tornello have received twen-

’82, Sp Path & Aud) to the Virginia In-

work in gifted and talented enrichment.

ty-seven Virginia Honor Band awards and

teragency Coordinating Council for

Renzulli is a distinguished professor at

twenty-eight consecutive years of superior

Early Intervention Services. Power-deFur

the University of Connecticut’s Neag

ratings at the state marching band

is associate professor and graduate co-

School of Education, the Neag Chair of

festival.

ordinator for communication sciences

Gifted Education and Talent Development, and director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. The prize was established in 1988

Gerard Robinson, a Curry doctoral degree candidate in policy

to honor Mr. McGraw’s lifelong commit-

studies, was appointed by Gov. Bob McDonnell in January to

ment to education.

be Virginia’s Secretary of Education.

Robinson previously served as the president of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, a national nonprofit,

1970s Randall Capps (Ed.D. ’70, C&I) was invited to be a visiting international

parental choice to empower families and to increase quality educational options for black children. Prior to his position at BAEO, Robinson served as a senior research associate for the School Choice Demonstration Project at the University

professor at the University of Lyon in

of Arkansas from 2006 to 2007 and as a senior fellow at the Institute for the

France. He taught a class in January 2009

Transformation of Learning at Marquette University from 2004 to 2006.

for the College of Business and Law to

Robinson has completed all but his dissertation work at the Curry School. “My

graduate students pursuing a program

professors prepared me to assume my new role as the Secretary of Education by

in international business. Capps is on

offering challenging courses and providing professional development opportunities,”

the faculty at the Gordon Ford College

he said. “Each experience laid a nice foundation upon which I will serve the public

of Business at Wester n Kentucky

school students of Virginia for the next four years.”

University.

After a half century with Chesapeake Public Schools and fourteen years as the division’s superintendent, W. Randolph Nichols (Ed.D. ’71, Couns Ed) retired.

Robinson’s prior professional endeavors have included numerous initiatives involving urban school reform and policy development. As executive director of a nonprofit organization in New York City, he opened a charter school in New Jersey.

He participated in crafting public policy through his fellowship with the California State Senate, as a resource person in the Virginia General Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a legislative liaison for the superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Robinson also was an elementary school teacher

Nichols began as a teacher and track

in Los Angeles and a teacher in the Pre-College Academic Program at St. Peter’s

coach at Great Bridge High School

College in Jersey City, New Jersey.

in 1959.

nonpartisan organization whose mission is to support

36 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Alumni News

Frederick G. Assaf and Martha E. Downer-Assaf Atlanta, Georgia Children’s names: Jack (14), Hank (12), Mick (11), Sam (9), and Tommy (7)

Hobbies/Interests: We share the common interest of raising five sons—which includes sports, Scouting, and arts events. We also enjoy boating, travel as a family, and taking in all Atlanta

The Assaf family.

has to offer. With what little time is left we read, exercise, and sort through and enjoy countless photographs!!

development with the ultimate goal of improving instruction for generations of students in areas where students are typi-

College degrees: Fred: B.A. Johns Hopkins University, The

cally underserved.

Writing Seminars, 1988; M.Ed. Curry School of Education, English Education, 1994

The Curry School’s Influence: Fred: I benefited from fantastic

Martha: B.A. Union College, Economics, 1990; M.A. University

professors and staff who took time to get to know me, to un-

of Virginia, Economics, 1993; Ph.D. Curry School of Education,

derstand my goals, and to help me realize how best to put my

Leadership and Policy Development, 1997

gifts into practice. One of my most rewarding experiences was working with Margo Figgins in the Young Writers Workshop.

Current Profession: Fred: Head of School and American

Martha: I learned how to think about the educational issues

literature teacher Pace Academy in Atlanta

that I face every day. My professors, particularly Dan Duke and

Pace Academy is a K–12 independent day school of 1,000 students

Brenda Loyd and Bill Johnson in economics gave me both the

that creates prepared, confident citizens of the world.

practical research skills and the broader policy framework to

Martha: Evaluation Specialist Rollins Center for Language and

best impact educational practice through the effective use

Learning in the Atlanta Speech School

of evaluation.

The Rollins Center serves as a resource for education professionals by sharing research-based language and reading

Words of advice to recent graduates:

approaches for the benefit of children and their families,

ues to attract the best and brightest young people—you will

schools, and communities.

find a great peer group, students who will bring joy to your

Fred: Teaching contin-

every day, and parents who truly appreciate a teacher as a

What they love about what they do: Fred: Being a part of a

partner in the process. Build on good experiences and never

vibrant academic community that values the arts, service,

stop listening to your students. They will lead you to some

and athletics is really fun for me and for our family. Working

amazing places.

with such talented and motivated students makes for exciting

Martha: Don’t limit yourself in thinking about how and where

days and everlasting youth!

your skills can take you. Follow your passions and your interests

Martha: I love working to use assessment and evaluation to

and cast a wide net to see how your Curry School education

gauge the efficacy of professional development programming

can be put to best practice.

intended to improve language and literacy. The Rollins Center works with teachers in schools with low literacy rates, and

Last Words: Having five children is a blast—and you learn

the outcomes of our assessments inform future professional

about education along the way too!

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 37

Alumni News

and disorders at Longwood University

Webster University named Elizabeth

Association, which includes Augusta,

and director of the Longwood Center

Stroble (Ph.D. ’87, C&I), as the univer-

Page, Shenandoah, and Rockingham

for Communication, Literacy &

sity’s president and chief executive. She

counties, as well as the cities of Staunton,

Learning.

was formerly the senior vice president,

Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, and Fishers-

provost, and chief operating officer at

ville in Virginia. Porter works at the

the University of Akron in Ohio.

private practice of Augusta Psychological

Barbara A. Lehman (Ed. D. ’86, C&I) is the recipient of the 2009 Arbuthnot Award from the International Reading Association. The Arbuthnot Award is a

Associates in Fishersville. She specializes in counseling adults who have mental

1990s

health, substance abuse, or (co-occur-

$1,000 award to honor an outstanding

ring) both concerns.

college or university teacher of chil-

William R. Hite, Jr. (M.Ed. ’90, Admin

dren’s and young adults’ literature.

& Supv), is the new superintendent of

Poet Laureate Kay Ryan selected Mary

Lehman is a professor in the School

schools for Prince George’s County, Md.

Szybist (M.T. ’94, Engl Ed) as one of two

of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio

Hite had been deputy superintendent

recipients of the 2009 Witter Bynner Fel-

State University.

since 2006. Prince George’s County is

lowship. Szybist received a $10,000

the nation’s 18th largest school system,

fellowship provided by the Witter Bynner

Hanover County Superintendent of

with 134,000 students and 16,000 em-

Foundation for Poetry in conjunction

Schools Stewart D. Roberson (M.Ed. ’81;

ployees—10,000 of them teachers.

with the Library of Congress. She is an

Ed.D. ’87, Admin & Supv) has been hon-

assistant professor of English at Lewis

ored with the National Excellence in

Sam T. Chambers

Education Award. Presented for the first

(M.Ed. ’90, Health &

time by AdvancED, the parent organiza-

PE) and Bob Rotella

Authors Jennifer

tion for the North Central Association

recently published

Hindman (M.T. ’95,

Commission on Accreditation and School

Head Case: Lacrosse

Elem Ed), Angela

Improvement and the Southern Associa-

Goalie, the first book

Seiders, and Leslie

tion of Colleges and Schools, the award

in a new series, Sports

Grant have published

is based on a selection process from

Fiction with a Win-

People First! The School

among forty member states to recognize

ning Edge. Head Case offers tips to help

Leader’s Guide to Build-

outstanding leadership in promoting

create skilled, confident, relaxed, and

ing & Cultivating

excellence in education. Having served

self-aware players who know how to suc-

Relationships with Teachers. This concise,

as a superintendent in Virginia for nearly

ceed and have fun doing it. As the varsity

people-centered guide helps school lead-

nineteen of the thirty-two years he has

lacrosse coach at St. John’s School in

ers who want to create good relationships

been an educator, Roberson is among

Houston, Texas, Chambers created a

with their teachers and increase student

the longest-serving superintendents in

state championship program that in-

achievement. Hindman currently works

the Commonwealth.

cludes boys from kindergarten through

at the School-University Research Net-

twelfth grades in mentoring relationships.

work, a partnership among twenty-six

Al Armentrout (M.Ed. ’71; Ed.D. ’87,

He has been elected Texas Coach of the

Virginia school systems.

Admin & Supv) retired effective June 30,

Year and Lacrosse Man of the Year.

Tara Sloan Jungersen (M.Ed. ’97) re-

2009, after thirty-one years as a school

and Clark College in Portland, Ore.

superintendent in Virginia and after forty

Patrice Porter (M.Ed. ’92, Couns Ed)

ceived her Ph.D. in counselor education

and one-half years as an public school

was named Community Counselor of the

from the University of Tennessee and is

educator in Virginia.

Year by the Central Valley Counselors

now an assistant professor in the Center

38 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Alumni News

for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeaster n University in For t Lauderdale, Fla. Douglas Ball (M.T. ’92; Ph.D. ’99, Spec Ed) is a contributing author

2009 Distinguished Service to the Commonwealth Award Patricia I. Wright Superintendent of Public Instruction Virginia Department of Education

and a member of the editorial team for the

The Curry School annually recognizes a

book Teaching Hope:

professional who has demonstrated distinguished

Stories from the Freedom

service to the Commonwealth of Virginia. As a

Writer Teachers and Erin

35-year veteran in the field of education,

Gruwell, recently published by Broadway

Patricia I. Wright (Ed.D. ’91, Math Ed) has worked tirelessly to improve Virginia’s

Books. Ball is an associate professor of

school systems. She has provided leadership and technical assistance in developing

education at Mar ymount University,

and implementing early childhood, elementary and secondary education programs—

where he teaches courses in literacy, di-

specifically in mathematics—throughout her 21-year career with the Virginia

versity, and special education. His entry

Department of Education. Wright was appointed by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to the

in Teaching Hope takes place in a remote

position of Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2008.

region of Virginia where education and culture clashed over racism in his classroom.

Merrimack College in North Andover,

Committee. Brian was appointed super-

Mass., has announced the creation of a

intendent in 2008 after serving for seven

new School of Education. The first dean

years as assistant superintendent of Am-

Cathy Roy (M.Ed. ’98; Ph.D. ’00, Ex Phys)

of the school will be Dan W. Butin (Ph.D.

herst County Public Schools. For the past

was awarded Longwood University’s Stu-

’02, Soc Fdns). Butin was formerly an

four years, he has also been an outstand-

dent-Faculty Recognition Award. Now

assistant dean in the Department of Edu-

ing instructor in the Curr y School’s

serving as associate professor of exercise

cational Leadership for Cambridge

administration and supervision programs

science at Longwood, Roy was honored

College’s School of Education.

in northern Virginia and Roanoke, each

2000s

for her professional excellence and devoted service to students.

year receiving excellent evaluations from Brian Ratliff

his students.

(Ed.D. ’03, Admin Dorinda G. Grasty (B.S. ’80; Ed.D. ’01,

& Supv), superin-

Kathleen Owings Swan (Ph.D. ’04, Soc

Spec Ed) was appointed division super-

tendent of Amherst

St Ed), Mark Hofer (Ph.D. ’03, IT), and

intendent for Appomattox County Public

County Public

Gerr y Swan (Ph.D. ’04, IT) jointly

Schools in Virginia. She has taught spe-

Schools, received

received a 2010 National Technology

cial education in Isle of Wight County

the 2009 Excel-

Leadership Initiative Fellowship awarded

and Appomattox County Public Schools.

lence in Educational

by the College and University Faculty

During the last seven years she was the

Leadership Award

Assembly of the National Council for the

director of remedial and special educa-

from the University Council for Educa-

Social Studies. They received the award

tion for Appomattox County.

tional Administration Executive

for their paper titled “Measuring the

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 39

Alumni News

Curry Alums Make Outstanding School Superintendents Impact of Digital Documentaries in a The Curry School’s degree programs

Public Schools since 2004. Prior to

High Stakes Testing Environment.” As a

in administration and supervision prepare

becoming Henrico’s superintendent,

result of the award, they were invited to

educational leaders for the public schools

he was superintendent of Montgomery

of the state and the nation. The quality of

County Schools in Blacksburg, Va. He

our programs was affirmed last year by our

held other public education positions in

alumni showing among those chosen as

Virginia as well, having been the principal

the best school superintendents in Virginia.

of Western Albemarle High School in

Hofer is Dorman Family Distinguished

Albemarle County and the principal of

Associate Professor of Educational

Covington High School in Covington.

Technology in the School of Education

Frederick S. Morton IV (B.S. ’75, Health & PE; M.Ed. ’79, Admin & Supv),

present their paper at the 2010 conference of the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education. The Swans are both assistant professors in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky.

at the College of William & Mary.

was named 2010 Virginia Superintendent of the Year, and four of the seven

Other 2010 regional Superintendents

remaining regional Superintendents of the

of the Year who are alumni of the Curry

John A. Downey (Ed.D. ’05, Higher Ed)

Year hailed from Curry as well.

School included the following:

became the fifth president of Blue Ridge

Region 3

Community College in August 2009. He

County Public Schools (Region 1), was

Richard W. Layman (Ed.D. ’00)

previously served as the vice president

selected by the state superintendent

King & Queen County Public Schools

for instruction and student services at

of public instruction and the officers of

Region 5

BRCC for four years. Downey has also

four Virginia education organizations as

Roger D. Collins (M.Ed. ’86)

the state winner from the eight regional

Nelson County Public Schools

Superintendents of the Year, who were

Region 6

chosen from the entire field of 133

William Edward Graham, Jr. (M.Ed. ’77)

superintendents in Virginia.

Covington City Public Schools

of the Year. She teaches United States

Region 8

history as well as a research and technol-

Don Ford, president of the Virginia

Philip L. Worrell (B.S. ’75, M.Ed. ’79)

ogy elective at Cosby High School in

Association of School Superintendents,

Greensville/Emporia Public Schools

Morton, superintendent of Henrico

In presenting him with the award,

worked at BRCC in both the student services and academic divisions.

Nicole C. Winter (M.Ed. ’05, C&I) was named Virginia 2009 Region 1 Teacher

Chesterfield County. She is also a National Board Certified Teacher.

said, “Fred Morton has always been a ‘champion of the underdog’—the

The 2009 cohort of regional

student who never had the opportunity

Superintendents of the Year included

Nancy Disharoon (Ed.S. ’05, Admin &

or the recognition or the attention he

two Curry alumni:

Supv) is now the principal of Stonewall

or she needed to succeed in school.

Region 3

Jackson Middle School in Mechanicsville,

As superintendent of Henrico County

Elaine Fogliani (M.Ed. ’74, Engl Ed;

Va., after spending two years as the

Schools, one of the largest and most

Ph.D. ’90, Admin & Supv)

school’s assistant principal.

diverse school divisions in the state, Fred

Westmoreland County Public Schools

made it his mission to help the students

Region 5

who needed it the most.”

Thomas W. D. Smith (Ed.D. ’88, Admin &

Morton has worked as the chief educational officer in Henrico County

Supv) Fluvanna County Public Schools

Erin M. McTigue (M.Ed. ’03; Ph.D. ’06, Reading) received the 2009 College of Education and Human Development Outstanding New Faculty Award at Texas A&M University. McTigue is an assistant professor in literacy and is in her third

40 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Alumni News

Virginia football fans may remember Blundin as starting quarterback of the 1991 Cavalier football team and his remarkable streak of 224 consecutive passes without an interception. He’s the only Cavalier athlete to play in both a football bowl game (Gator Bowl) and in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA basketball tournament. In 1992, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in the second round. He played as a backup for four seasons with Kansas City and one year with Detroit before heading back to Charlottesville to complete his master’s degree and become a teacher.

Matt Blundin

technology for the mathematics

Crozet, Va.

classroom and exposed us to cutting-edge tools. That foun-

Spouse’s name: Amy Futral Blundin

dation of proper and effective use of technology has allowed

Children’s names: Ethan (12), Cole (11), Luke (8), Joseph (3)

me to continue to find new and better ways to help students

Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, fishing, reading, coaching youth

gain their own understanding

sports, anything active with my family

of the material.

College degrees: B.A., College of Arts & Sciences, Mathematics, 1991; M.T., Curry School of Education, Secondary mathematics

Words of advice to recent graduates: The first few years

education, 2000

of teaching are all-consuming. If you do not take care of your mind, body, and spirit, you will easily lose sight of your priori-

Current Profession: Mathematics teacher, Western Albemarle

ties and unnecessarily burn out. A good night’s sleep does

High School

wonders for your ability to positively face the multiple issues students may bring to the classroom.

What he loves about his job: Teaching is one of the most

You have a responsibility to the students in your commitment

meaningful jobs we can do. I do not take that for granted

to them as learners and people. You must ensure that your

and do my best to meet the challenge of improving every

room is a community of respect in which students feel safe to

year. The work we do every day in the classroom allows us

learn and ask questions. … Never take for granted the impact

to continually grow as people. The cyclical nature of the pro-

that a single word and how you say that word may have to

fession demands reflection, preparation, performance, and

influence or discourage a student. Surround yourself with

a time to start over from the beginning. The professors and

positive teachers who are interested in learning and growing

colleagues I have come to call friends are among the best

as a professional. Seek out and attend meaningful conferences

people I have ever met. These relationships are steeped in a

at least one time per year. Be ready and willing to say, “I don’t

common desire to constantly improve upon the efficacy of

know the answer to that question, but will find out and get

our roles as educators.

back to you” … then do it.

Curry School’s influence: Fortunately, I attended Curry when the

Last words: Curry has been an ongoing asset in my teaching

use of technology was beginning to grow very rapidly. When

career. Through my role as a clinical instructor for multiple

I returned to Curry after a short stay in the NFL, coursework I

Curry teaching associates, I have not only been able to share

had completed just six years prior was outdated. [Associate

my teaching experiences but I have also gleaned new ideas

professor] Joe Garofalo fully embraced the meaningful use of

and learned from very talented graduate students.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 41

Alumni News

year with the Department of Teaching,

students in Lynchburg and Louisa, Va.,

stitute for Economic Policy Research,

Learning and Culture.

for fourteen years before becoming a

Stanford University.

school administrator.

Patrick McKeon (Ph.D. ’07, Kines) re-

Deborah N. Chu (M.T. ’09, Elem Ed)

ceived the David H. Perrin Doctoral

Katherine Shirey (M.T. ’07, Sci Ed) was

received a Fulbright U.S. Student Schol-

Dissertation Award from the National

selected to travel to the South Pole in

arship to Taiwan, where she is teaching

Athletic Training Association’s Research

winter 2010–11. She will join the ranks of

English as a foreign language. Chu, who

& Education Foundation. His disserta-

world-class scientists and technicians to

lives in the Richmond area, is one of

tion was titled “Effects of Balance Training

work on IceCube, the world’s largest neu-

more than 1,500 U.S. citizens traveling

on Postural Control, Gait, and Function

trino telescope and the biggest research

abroad for the 2009–10 academic year

in Those with Chronic Ankle Instability.”

project ever attempted in Antarctica.

through the Fulbright Program. Recipi-

McKeon is an assistant professor in the

Shirey is a physics teacher at Washington-

ents of Fulbright awards are selected on

Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Lee High School in Arlington, Va., and is

the basis of academic or professional

at the University of Kentucky.

participating in the South Pole trip as a

achievements, as well as demonstrated

Knowles Science Teaching Fellow.

leadership potential in their fields.

’07, Admin & Supv) was named the new

Maria Fitzpatrick (M.A. ’04, Ph.D. ’08,

David T. Sovine (Ed.D. ’09, Admin &

principal of Myrtle Beach Elementary

Econ) received a 2009 Spencer Founda-

Supv) received one of four 2009 R.E.B.

School in South Carolina. Christy was

tion Exemplary Dissertation Award for

Awards for Distinguished Educational

Janice West Christy (M.Ed. ’98; Ed.D.

previously the assistant principal at Bur-

her work titled “Early Start: The Econom-

Leadership from the Community Foun-

gess Elementary School in Myrtle Beach

ics of Early Childhood Education.”

dation of Richmond and Central Virginia.

and Burnley-Moran Elementary School

Fitzpatrick is now the Searle Freedom

Sovine is the principal of Monacan High

in Charlottesville. She taught English to

Trust Postdoctoral Scholar, Stanford In-

School in Richmond.

Please keep in touch!

CURRY would love to hear from you. Please send us information regarding your professional achievements and personal milestones. Include your class year(s) and degree(s).

Let us help you tell your Curry friends about the latest events in your life!

You may send information to Curry-Foundation@virginia.edu.

42 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Alumni News

IN MEMORIAM “Bullet” Bill Dudley (B.S. ’42), one of the most talented

John Michael Mullen (Ed.D. ’81

players ever to grace the U.Va. gridiron and the only

Higher Ed) of Midlothian died

Cavalier ever selected as the NFL’s number-one draft

in April 9, 2009, at 66 years old.

pick, died on January 31, 2010, in Lynchburg after

Mullen served from 1974 to 1998

suffering a stroke. He was 88. A native of Bluefield,

as the deputy and interim director

Virginia, Dudley received a football scholarship to U.Va.,

of the State Council of Higher

and enrolled at age 17 in the fall of 1938. He earned a

Education for Virginia. He spent the

bachelor’s degree in sociology at the Curry School. After

next three years as vice president of finance at Northern

a stellar career playing for the Cavaliers, he was drafted

Arizona University in Flagstaff. From 2001 to 2005, he

by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1942. He played one season,

was chancellor of the newly created West Virginia Higher

then joined the U.S. Army Air Forces. After the war, he

Education Policy Commission, an analogue of SCHEV.

returned to Pittsburgh where, in 1946, he led the NFL

More recently, he served as chief finance officer at the

in rushing, interceptions, and punt returns. He was

U.Va. Miller Center of Public Affairs

Football Hall of Fame. After his football career ended,

Former University of Virginia baseball

Dudley moved his family to Lynchburg, where he worked

coach and athletics administrator

in estate planning. He also served four two-year terms in

James O. West (B.S. ’58; M.Ed. ’59;

the Virginia House of Delegates from 1966–75 and on

Ed.D. ’75, Couns Ed) died May 20,

the University’s Board of Visitors from 1976 to 1984.

2009, of complications from a stroke.

West spent 33 years in the U.Va. athletics department. A native of

Courtesy U.Va. Department of Athletics

named to the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro

Suffolk, Va., West coached the Cavalier baseball team from the 1962 through 1980. The 1972 team won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship and was the first Virginia baseball team to participate in the NCAA Tournament.West joined the U.Va. athletics department in the fall of 1959 as head cross country coach and first-year baseball coach. He assumed the head baseball coaching responsibilities for the 1962 season and was director of the service physical education program from 1961 to 1972. West was appointed assistant athletic Courtesy U.Va. Department of Athletics

director in 1972 and became associate director of athletic

programs in 1978. He later was named senior associate athletic director. West retired from the University’s athletics department in September 1992. Baseball uniform No. 24, worn by West during his 19 years as the Cavaliers’ head coach, was retired by the Virginia athletics department.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 43

Alumni News

Curry School Alumni Honored Each year the Curry School of Education Foundation presents Outstanding Alumni Awards in a number of categories to recognize excellence in the profession of education. The 2009 Outstanding Alumni Awards were presented at the annual Dean’s Circle of Friends dinner last October in Alumni Hall.

Distinguished Alumni Awards

cymaking roles at the national and state

Outstanding Principal Award

levels and helped launch several educaAlfredo J. Artiles

tional reform organizations. He writes

John Betterton (M.Ed. ’72)

(M.Ed. ’89, Ph.D.

for

’92)

& World Report,

Betterton was principal of Bethel

was

as well as the

Hill Elementary School in Roxboro for

for

blog

Eduwonk.

fifteen years. He retired in 2000 from

outstanding

com.

Artiles recognized his

U.S.

News

Bethel Hill Charter School, Roxboro, N.C.

During

the Person County School System to be-

scholarship and

the Clinton ad-

come the founding principal of Bethel

service to advance

ministration,

Hill Charter School, where he present-

the education of children with disabili-

he served at the

ly serves. Betterton received a Points of

ties. He is a Borderlands Professor of

White House as

Light Award for Excellence from the

Education in the College of Education

the special assistant to the president

Bush Foundation in 2003 and was the

at Arizona State University, with a

for domestic policy. In 2005 Governor

Charter School’s Wachovia Principal

joint appointment in the Transborder

Mark Warner appointed Rotherham to

of the Year in 2004. Betterton is a pas-

Studies Department.

the Virginia Board of Education, a po-

sionate advocate for the charter school

sition in which he served until 2009.

movement and is currently chair of

His scholarship examines the role of culture on learning within the con-

the North Carolina Alliance for Public

texts of special education placement

Charter Schools.

practices and teacher learning in urban multicultural schools. He has

Outstanding Superintendent Award

published extensively for research, polElaine Fogliani (M.Ed. ’74)

general, special, and bilingual educa-

Westmoreland County, Va., Public Schools

in the U.S. as well as in Latin America.

Dumfries, Va. Rosenberg is Prince William County’s

Fogliani has worked since 2004 as su-

longest-serving principal. He has been

perintendent of Westmoreland County

at Swans Creek since 2001. For the past

Public Schools. Her leadership there is

four years under Rosenberg’s leadership,

credited with helping all four schools in

Swans Creek has earned the division’s

Rotherham was selected for his

this rural division achieve accreditation,

School of Excellence award. This award

outstanding professional efforts to

improving pass rates on state standards

recognizes schools demonstrating high

improve national public education pol-

of learning tests, upgrading technology

levels of student performance on the

icy. Rotherham cofounded Education

throughout the district, and bringing

Virginia Standards of Learning tests,

Sector,

forty onsite dual-enrollment courses to

both for students performing on grade

Washington & Lee High School.

level and those performing below grade

Andrew J. Rotherham (M.Ed. ’00)

an

independent

education

policy think tank. He has served in poli-

Swans Creek Elementary School,

icy, and practice audiences in the tion fields. He has conducted research

Barry Rosenberg (M.Ed. ’81)

44 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Recipients of the 2009 Alumni Awards (l to r): Esther Adams, Andrew Rotherham, Carla Hunt, Heather Johnson, Barry Rosenberg, Elaine Fogliani, Timothy Konold (Outstanding Faculty Award), Phyllis Palmore (Outstanding Staff Award), and John Betterton.

level. Rosenberg was 2007–08 president

in other communities, and then direct-

Esther Adams (M.T. ’01)

of the Virginia Association of Elementary

ed a regional tournament, now in its

Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, Md.

School Principals and currently serves

third year, that includes more than 200

on the Commonwealth Educational

student participants representing four

the

Roundtable and the Statewide K–12

states. She has been a National Board

International School in Israel, where

Educational Advisory Council.

Certified Teacher since 2002.

she taught for two years. She has

Adams

began

Walworth

her

career

Barbour

at

American

taught history and government classes

Outstanding Teacher/Counselor Awards

Carla Hunt (M.T. ’95)

at Johnson High since 2003. In 2005,

Jack Jouett Middle School, Charlottesville, Va.

her school boasted the highest propor-

Hunt has taught high school and middle

school

mathematics

tion of total school population among

cours-

schools of similar size to achieve an

es for more than 30 years. She began

exam grade of 3 or higher in AP World

All Outstanding Teacher/Counselor award

teaching at Albemarle High School in

History. For this achievement Adams

recipients are presented with a gift of $500 to

1992. In 2007 an eighth-grade hon-

and three social studies department

enable them to attend a professional meeting.

ors geometry course was added to her

colleagues received special recognition

duties so she could help ensure the

by the College Board in its annual re-

Heather Johnson (M.T. ’95)

preparation of middle school students

port. Adams then led a team of authors

Jessie P. Miller Elementary School,

for high school. Hunt was recognized

to write an AP World History review

Bradenton, Fla.

as the Commonwealth of Virginia’s

book, published by Houghton Mifflin.

teacher,

Region V Teacher of the Year in 2006.

Adams spends her summers as academ-

Johnson is well recognized through-

A

She has been a leader in developing

ic dean of the American International

out Florida for her involvement with

and sharing instructional strategies for

School in Switzerland. She also sup-

the World Sport Stacking Association.

block scheduling and cowrote a book

ports the development of new high

She organized a sport stacking club at

on the topic, Teaching Mathematics in

school social studies teachers serving

her school, developed a demonstration

the Block, published in 1999 by Eye on

Washington, D.C.-area schools in the

team to help build interest in the sport

Education.

Teach for America program.

physical

education

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 45

Alumni News

Do you know an outstanding Curry School alum?

If so, the Curry School Foundation needs your help!

Each year the Curry School

Outstanding Principal Award

Foundation recognizes

Deadline for nominations: May 3, 2010

exceptional Curry School alumni

The Outstanding Principal Award recognizes a principal employed

who have made significant contributions in the field of education and whose career achievements reflect positively on all alumni and on the Curry School. Help us acknowledge the outstanding accomplishments of Curry School alums by submitting your nomination today!

in a public or private school and accomplished in the following areas: excellence in school administration, professional stature, and dedicated service to the community.

Outstanding Higher Education Faculty NEW CATEGORY Deadline for nominations: May 3, 2010 The Outstanding Higher Education Faculty Award recognizes a faculty member of a college or university who is accomplished in

Outstanding Teacher/Counselor Award Deadline for nominations: May 3, 2010

the following areas: excellence in teaching, distinguished research, professional stature, and dedicated service to the community.

• Elementary School

Distinguished Alumni Award

• Middle School

REVISED CRITERIA

• High School

Deadline for nominations: May 3, 2010

An Outstanding Teacher/Counselor Award will be presented for all

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes an individual who has

three grade levels. This award recognizes excellence in teaching or

made a significant contribution to the field of education or to his or

counseling, professional stature, dedicated service, and

her chosen profession and who has demonstrated professional

commitment to promoting general student welfare through

stature and dedicated service to the Curry School of Education.

working with student activities and organizations. Each teacher/ counselor award recipient will receive $500 to be used for

Outstanding Curry Professor Award

professional development purposes.

Deadline for nominations: May 3, 2010

Outstanding Superintendent Award

The Outstanding Curry Professor Award recognizes a professor who is a full-time member of the Curry School faculty and who

Deadline for nominations: May 3, 2010

has made a considerable contribution to the school’s success in

The Outstanding Superintendent Award recognizes a

the areas of teaching, student welfare, student career

superintendent who is currently employed in a public or private

development, and professional leadership.

school system and has achieved excellence in school administration, is recognized professionally beyond his/her own

To submit your nomination for any of these awards, download the

school system, and has provided exemplary service to the

appropriate nomination form from the Curry Foundation website:

community.

http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/foundation/awards For more information, email curry-foundation@virginia.edu or call (434) 924-0854.

46 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Faculty Notes

Curry School Foundation Outstanding Professor Tim Konold

highly motivated to learn, and I attempt

Professor and Program Coordinator Research, Statics and Evaluation

to provide multiple pathways for that

His specialty: Quantitative methods and

What his nominators said: “Tim

psychometric applications related to

sesses exceptional quantitative research

large-scale test use and development.

design and analysis skills, is a highly

His particular focus is on the errors of

respected teacher, and has conducted

measurement associated with informant-

and published research from preschool

based assessment systems.

to post-college.”

to occur.” pos-

“As a doctoral student in Tim’s

His recent work: Informant-based sys-

statistics classes, I found him to be ex-

tems of assessment are regularly used by

traordinary at cultivating relationships

parents and teachers to gather judgments on the frequency and

with all of the students in class. His content knowledge and rigor

severity of children’s behavior and social skills. Unfortunately, it

in the classroom were exceptional, but it is perhaps the atypical

has been well documented that the ratings obtained by parents

attention to connecting with students that sets him apart.”

and teachers about a child’s disposition often disagree. Tim’s

“Tim Konold is the professor that I really aspire to emulate.

recent work in this area has employed latent variable modeling

His productivity is incredible; his teaching is outstanding; his

to disentangle student trait (e.g., behaviors) and informant ef-

sense of humor is dry and hilarious … Tim has balance and is

fects. He has found that scores obtained on informant-based

a healthy role model for all Curry doctoral students.”

measures may be revealing as much about the informant as they are about the subject of observation. Separately, he has

Family stats: Tim and his wife, Kim, have two daughters, Ariana

found that parents’ and teachers’ ratings of children’s social

(age nine) and Alia (age five).

skills are not consistently reliable in forecasting children’s achievement growth from preschool through grade five.

Selected recent publications: Konold, T. R., Jamison, K. R. Stanton-Chapman, T. L., & Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. (In press).

What he enjoys most about the Curry School: “The Curry School

Relationships among informant based measures of social

is comprised of faculty and students with world-class talents

skills on student achievement: A longitudinal examination of

that work together toward the common goal of improving

differential effects by sex. Applied Developmental Science.

education. The passion of this group is truly remarkable,

Konold, T. R., & Canivez, G. L. (2009). Differential rela-

and being a member of this family is an incredibly rewarding

tionships among WISC-IV and WIAT-II scales: An evaluation

experience for me.”

of potentially moderating child demographics. Educational and Psychological Measurement OnlineFirst (December 18).

Teaching philosophy: “My classes are all designed with the

doi:10.1177/0013164409355686.

primary goal of enabling participants to become self-sufficient

Grimm, K. J., Pianta, R. C., & Konold, T. R. (2009). Longitudinal

lifelong users and students of quantitative methods, with an

multitrait-multimethod models for developmental re-

eye toward their applications in the social sciences, in general,

search. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 44, 233–258. doi:

and the field of education, in particular. Curry students are

10.1080/00273170902794230.

48 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Faculty Notes

Faculty and Staff Professional Achievements Randy Bell, associate professor of sci-

quality research contributing to the

employee who has exhibited leadership

ence education, was elected president

field of Out-of-School Time learning.

qualities that serve as an inspiring ex-

of the Association for Science Teach-

ample to his or her colleagues and who

er Education. He will serve in 2010 as

Sara Dexter, assistant professor in ad-

has rendered this service with distinc-

president-elect, and will begin his term

ministration and supervision, received

tion while being in direct and frequent

as president in 2011.

the 2009 Jack A. Culbertson Award

contact with U.Va. students, faculty,

from the University Council for Educa-

and alumni.

Professor Sandi Cohen, director of

tional Administration. The Culbertson

teacher education, was named chair-

Award is bestowed on an outstanding

Margo Figgins, associate professor of

person of the Teacher Education

junior professor of educational admin-

English education, was appointed by

Accreditation Council executive board.

istration in recognition of contributions

President Casteen to serve on the ad-

to the field. Dexter was recognized for

visory board of the Virginia Quarterly

Nancy Deutsch, assistant professor

her work’s innovativeness, originality,

Review.

in the research, statistics, and evalua-

generalizability, and impact.

tion program, received the first annual

Harriet Glosoff, associate professor of

Out-of-School Time Emerging Scholar

Dave Drucker, senior technology spe-

counselor education, was presented

Award at AERA. Deutsch was recog-

cialist, was awarded the 2009 University

with the Southern Association for

nized for demonstrating excellence,

of Virginia Alumni Association Distin-

Counselor Education and Supervision

creativity, and initiative in her research

guished Service Award. The association

Individual Achievement Award for

and for conducting innovative, high-

gives the award annually to a classified

Tenured Counselor Educators. The

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 49

Faculty Notes

organization grants this award each year

tervention in School-Age Children with

of WELV: to promote women in all areas

to a counselor educator from within

Language Impairment: A Randomized

of education and to further the par-

the 14 SACES states who demonstrates

Controlled Trial.”

ticipation of women in higher levels of

consistent service to the counseling profession (scholarly

through works),

administration

publications

leadership

(service),

and

educational administration. The Virginia Sandy Lopez-Baez was selected as the

State Superintendent of Public Instruc-

and

2009 recipient of the Patricia B. El-

tion also recognized Tucker for her

an

more AACE/MECD Research Award

exceptional work in coordinating the ini-

ongoing research agenda.

for her article with Andy Anderson,

tiative “Advancing Virginia’s Leadership

“Measuring Growth with the Posttrau-

Agenda Guidance Document: Standards

Jay Hertel, associate professor of ath-

matic Growth Inventory.” The award

and Indicators for School Leaders and

letic training and sports medicine,

is given to the authors of the manu-

Documentation for the Principal of Dis-

has been named an associate editor

script representing the highest quality

tinction (Level II) Administration and

for BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, an

of those published in Measurement and

Supervision Endorsement.”

open-access journal publishing original

Evaluation in Counseling and Development

peer-reviewed research articles in all as-

during the preceding year.

Robert Tai, associate professor of ele-

pects of the prevention, diagnosis, and

mentary science education, was invited

management of musculoskeletal and

Andy

scientist,

to join the research review board that

associated disorders. Hertel, along with

served as a member of the Virginia

advises the STEM Model Management

Patrick McKeon (Ph.D. ’07, Kinesiolo-

School Readiness Task Force, which

Partners regarding research on a new

gy) received the Kenneth Knight Award

recently released the Virginia School

U.S. STEM (science, technology, engi-

from the National Athletic Trainers’

Readiness Report.

neering, and mathematics) Education

Mashburn,

senior

Association for the Outstanding Re-

Model. The project is led by the Busi-

search Manuscript in the 2008 volume

Margaret A. (Peg) Miller, professor

of the Journal of Athletic Training. Their

of higher education, is serving on the

winning article was titled “Systematic

board of the newly created Nation-

Stephanie Van Hover, associate profes-

Review of Postural Control and Later-

al Institute for Learning Outcomes

sor of social studies education, received

al Ankle Instability, Part II: Is Balance

Assessment.

a 2009 All-University Teaching Award.

Training Clinically Effective?”

Van Hover was one of nine U.Va. facAt the annual convention of the Vir-

ulty members recognized by the U.Va.

profes-

ginia Psychological Association, Peter

Teaching Resource Center for excel-

sor in the communication disorders

Sheras received the Joan Smallwood

lence in teaching.

program, was selected as one of the

Virginia Psychological Association Ser-

2009–10 University of Virginia Teach-

vice Award, in acknowledgment of a

Art

ing Fellows by the Teaching Resource

distinguished career of service to psy-

rector

Center. She and eight coauthors won

chology in Virginia.

program, and his colleagues won the

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing

Pamela Tucker, associate professor of

cellence at a Clinical Poster Session

Research for findings on a groundbreak-

administration and supervision, was

for their poster on the meal challeng-

ing study of school-age children who

awarded the 2009 WELV Spirit Award by

es in the pediatric population. They

have Specific Language Impairment.

the Women Education Leaders in Vir-

presented the poster at the 2009 an-

Their award-winning article was titled

ginia. The award is presented annually

nual meeting of the American Dietetic

“Efficacy of Fast ForWord Language In-

to a leader who exemplifies the mission

Association.

LaVae

Hoffman,

assistant

a 2008 Editor’s Award granted by the

ness-Higher Education Forum.

50 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Weltman, of

the

professor exercise

and

di-

physiology

Margaret Dullea Simko Award for Ex-

Faculty Notes

Faculty Members Receiving Grants Senior research scientist Jason Downer, senior scientist Bridget Hamre, and research scientist Megan Stuhlman of the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning received a three-year grant worth nearly $500,000 from the William T. Grant and Spencer foundations to develop low-cost tools to measure effective teaching in classrooms. These researchers will develop new tools that use student, principal, and supervisor surveys to assess teacher-student interactions.

Principal research scientist David W. Grissmer and senior scientist Thomas G. White of the Center for Advanced

Marcia A. Invernizzi, professor in read-

by the Center for Advanced Study of

Study

Learning

ing education, and research scientist

Teaching and Learning.

received a $4.9 million grant to eval-

Karen Ford have received a four-year,

uate the effectiveness of the Core

$1.6 million grant from the Nation-

Sarah Turner, professor in the high-

Knowledge curriculum in 18 charter

al Center for Education Research to

er education program, was awarded a

elementary schools in Colorado. The

create a Spanish version of their

nearly $400,000 grant to study the ef-

Colorado Department of Education

successful Phonological Awareness Lit-

fect of the federal stimulus on science

is also participating. The Institute for

eracy Screening assessment.

and engineering jobs.

Department of Education, is funding

Dean Bob Pianta, associate professor

Heather Wathington, assistant professor

the five-year grant.

Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, and professor

in higher education, is a researcher with

of

Teaching

and

Educational Science, part of the U.S.

James Wyckoff were awarded nearly

the National Center on Postsecond-

David

$1 million from the U.S. Department

ary Research, which recently received

scientist

of Education for an interdisciplinary

a $900,000 grant from the Houston

Andrew Mashburn of the Center for Ad-

doctoral training program in educa-

Endowment to support the work of col-

vanced Study of Teaching and Learning

tion sciences.

leges in Texas that are participating in

Principal W.

research

Grissmer

and

scientist senior

will study the connection between fine

a rigorous evaluation of developmental

motor skills and mathematical skills

Dean Bob Pianta was also awarded

summer bridge programs. These in-

with funding from a $1 million federal

more than $276,000 from Teachscape

tensive programs are designed to help

stimulus grant distributed by the Na-

for work to be conducted for the Bill

recent high school graduates enter col-

tional Institutes of Health.

and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Mea-

lege ready to undertake college-level

sures of Teacher Effectiveness Study

coursework.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 51

Faculty Notes

Curry School Foundation Outstanding Staff Award Phyllis Palmore

“As the Curry School and the University moved toward a

Admissions Office Administrative and Program Specialist III

much more intensive online environment over the past four years … Phyllis led the way and was instrumental in helping with the design of the process that Admissions follows … to

At the Curry School since: July 25, 1997

pull in new information from a variety of online sources. I enjoy working with someone who can make you feel good about

Her primary responsibility: New students may never know

something so daunting as technology and change.”

Phyllis, but she is the person behind the scenes who makes sure their applications make it through all the steps from application

Family stats: Phyllis and her husband, Ricky, have two children

to acceptance. She processes applications, requests missing

and six grandchildren, ages two to ten years old. They all live

documents, coordinates with appropriate staff and faculty

in central Virginia.

members, sends decision letters, and much more.

After hours: Phyllis helps her husband with his hobby, farming What she likes most about her job: “I most definitely love to

cattle and hay. “In the summer I go home after work and rake

work with people. I enjoy working with the students as a liaison

and bale hay. I don’t expect most people can imagine me

for students in the admissions process. I love the challenge

driving a tractor, but I do.”

of working with faculty, staff, and students on the new online application process and Student System Project (SIS) system. Whenever I can, I advocate for people who are interested in education to come to Curry.”

What her nominators said: “Phyllis is a lovely, friendly person.

She is a team player and a problem solver. A frequent question she raises is ‘How can I help?’”

“Phyllis works closely with faculty, students, and staff in her role in Curry’s admissions office. She answers all questions with a smile and willing attitude and endless patience. She is quick to grasp new concepts and is a patient teacher and mentor to her colleagues.

Her knowledge and professional demeanor present the perfect face for Curry to outside visitors.”

52 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Curry Foundation chair Daniel M. Myers and Dean Bob Pianta congratulate Phyllis on her well-deserved award.

Faculty Notes

Curry 2009–10 Faculty Members Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education Mary P. Abouzeid Randy L. Bell Daniel B. Berch Robert Q. Berry III Glen L. Bull John B. Bunch Sandra B. Cohen David F. Feldon Ruth Ferree Margo A. Figgins

Joe Garofalo Patrice Grimes Daniel Hallahan Jane Hansen Tisha Hayes Marcia Invernizzi Mable B. Kinzie Rebecca D. Kneedler John Wills Lloyd Michael McKenna Joanne McNergney

Susan Mintz Stephen P. Plaskon Paige C. Pullen Laura B. Smolkin, Chair Martha E. Snell Tina Stanton-Chapman Robert H. Tai Stanley C. Trent Stephanie van Hover Eleanor V. Wilson

Department of Human Services Martin E. Block B. Ann Boyce Barbara Braddock Dewey G. Cornell Harriet L. Glosoff Jay Hertel Jane Hilton LaVae Hoffman

Luke E. Kelly Edith “Winx” Lawrence Lisa Maria Locke-Downer Filip Loncke Ann B. Loper Sandra Lopez-Baez Robert C. Pianta Ronald E. Reeve

Randall R. Robey Susan Foreman Saliba Peter L. Sheras, Chair Marie F. Shoffner Antoinette Thomas Patrick H. Tolan Arthur J. Weltman Derick Williams

Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Policy Daphna Bassok Daniel B. Berch Eric R. Bredo David W. Breneman Catherine Brighton Alfred R. Butler Carolyn M. Callahan Robert W. Covert Nancy Deutsch Sara Dexter Daniel L. Duke James P. Esposito

Xitao Fan Walter F. Heinecke Holly Hertberg Diane Hoffman Timothy R. Konold Joanna Lee Patrick Meyer Robert F. McNergney Margaret “Peg” Miller Tonya Moon Natalia A. Palacios James Peugh

Brian Pusser Herbert C. Richards Sara Rimm-Kaufman Jerry G. Short Carol Anne Spreen Carol Tomlinson, Chair Pamela D. Tucker Sarah E. Turner Heather Wathington Diane Whaley James Wyckoff

Curry SVEA Chapter Recognized At the statewide convention of the

Student Virginia Education Association held in March 2009, the University of Virginia Curry Chapter won the Outstanding Award, the highest award given for chapters with forty or fewer members. This award reflected the chapter’s hard work in providing quality workshops, community service, fundraising, and social activities throughout the past year. This is the twelfth year in a row that the Curry chapter has won this award.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 53

Faculty Notes

Selected 2009 Publications by Curry School Faculty and Staff S. Bandyopadhyay, Dewey G. Cornell, & Timothy R. Konold.

Validity of three school climate scales to assess bullying, aggressive attitudes, and help seeking. School Psychology Review, 38, 338–355.

Robert Q. Berry III & Oren L. McClain Voices, power, and multiple identities: African American boys and mathematics success. New England Mathematics Journal, 41, 17–26.

Leslie M. Booren & D. J. Handy Students’ perceptions of the importance of school safety strategies: An introduction to the IPSS Survey. Journal of School Violence, 8(3), 233–250.

Barbara Ann Boyce, L. A. Gano-Overway, & A.L. Campbell Perceived motivational climate’s influence on goal orientations, perceived competence, and practice strategies across the athletic season. The Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 21, 381–394.

D. Boyd, P. Grossman, H. Lankford, S. Loeb, & James Wyckoff Teacher preparation and student achievement. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 31(4) Eric Bredo Getting over the methodology wars.

Educational Researcher, 38(6), 441–448.

Sonia Q. Cabell, L. M. Justice, T. A. Zucker, & C.R. Kilday, C. R. Validity of teacher report for assessing the emergent literacy skills of at-risk preschoolers. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 40, 161-173.

S. D. Calkins & Amanda P. Williford Taming the terrible twos: Self-regulation and school readiness. In O. A. Barbarin & B. Wasik (Eds.), Handbook of developmental science and early education: Translating basic research into practice: Vol. 1. Early childhood education: Cognitive, social and emotional foundations. New York: Guilford Press.

Dewey Cornell, Peter Sheras, Anne Gregory, & Xitao Fan A retrospective study of school safety conditions in high schools using the Virginia Threat Assessment Guidelines versus alternative approaches. School Psychology Quarterly, 24, 119–129.

54 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

M. Dennis, Daniel B. Berch, & M. M. M. Mazzocco Mathematical learning disabilities in special populations: Phenotypic variation and cross-disorder comparisons.

Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 15, 80–89.

Nancy L. Deutsch, & R. Spencer Assessing the quality of youth mentoring relationships. In N. Yohalem, R.C. Granger, K. Pittman & G. Noam (Eds.) Defining and Measuring quality in youth programs and classrooms: New directions for youth development (No. 121, pp. 47–70). San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

Sarah Dexter & Pamela D. Tucker Development of situated decision-making skills with the Educational Theory Into Practice Software (ETIPS) leadership cases.

UCEA Review, 50(3), 14–20.

Jason T. Downer & S. S. Myers Application of a developmental/ecological model to family-school partnerships. In S. L. Christenson & A. L. Reschly (Eds.), The handbook on school-family partnerships for promoting student competence.

Philadelphia, PA: Routledge/Taylor and Francis Group.

David F. Feldon & K. Stowe A case study of instruction from experts: Why does cognitive task analysis make a difference? Technology, Instruction, Cognition, and Learning, 7(2), 103–120.

Daniel P. Hallahan & K. L. Sayeski Special education. In E. M. Anderman & L. Anderman (Eds.), Psychology of classroom learning: An encyclopedia (Vol. II; pp.

863–872). Detroit, MI: Macmillan Reference USA. Bridget K. Hamre, Robert C. Pianta, & L. Choomat-Mooney Conducting classroom observations in school based research. In L. Dinella (Ed), Conducting psychology research in school-based settings: A practical guide for researchers conducting high quality science within school environments.

Washington DC: APA Press.

Jane Hansen Multiple literacies in the content classroom: High school students’ connections to U.S. history. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(7), 597–606.

Holly Hertberg-Davis Is differentiation in the regular classroom a sufficient substitute for gifted programs?

Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(4), 251–253.

Diane M. Hoffman Reflecting on social emotional learning: A critical perspective on trends in the United States. Review of Educational Research, 79(2), 533–556.

LaVae M. Hoffman Narrative language intervention intensity and dosage: Telling the whole story. Topics in Language Disorders 29(4), 329–343.

Francis Huang & Tonya Moon Is experience the best teacher? A multilevel analysis of teacher characteristics and second grade student reading achievement in low performing schools. Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Accountability, 21, 209–234.

Marcia Invernizzi Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI) and Response to Intervention (RtI). Reading in Virginia.

B.A. Irving, J.Y. Weltman, J.T. Patrie, C.K. Davis, D.W. Brock, D. Swift, E.J. Barrett, G.A. Gaesser, & Arthur Weltman.

Effects of exercise training intensity on nocturnal growth hormone secretion in obese adults with the metabolic syndrome.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 94, 1976–1986.

N. Juersivich, Joe Garofalo, & Ginny Fraser Student teachers’ use of technologically generated representations: Exemplars and rationales. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 17(2), 149–173.

Sara E. Rimm-Kaufman, T. Curby, K. Grimm, L. Nathanson, & L. Brock The contribution of children’s selfregulation and classroom quality to children’s adaptive behaviors in the kindergarten classroom. Developmental Psychology, 45(4), 958–972.

Carolyn R. Kilday & Mable B. Kinzie An analysis of instruments that measure the quality of mathematics teaching in early childhood. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36, 365–372.

Edith C. Lawrence & A. F. Sovik-Johnston A competence approach to therapy with

Faculty Notes

families with multiple problems. In D. A. Crenshaw (Ed.), Reverence in healing: Honoring strengths without trivializing suffering (pp. 137–143). Lanham, MD: Jason Aronson.

Ann B. Loper, W. Carlson, Lacey Levitt, & Kathryn Scheffel Parenting stress, alliance, child contact and adjustment of imprisoned mothers and fathers. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 48, 483–503.

Sandra I. López-Báez & M. Paylo Social justice advocacy: Community collaboration and systems advocacy.

Journal of Counseling and Development, 87, 276–283.

P.O. McKeon, G. Paolini, C.D. Ingersoll, D.C. Kerrigan, Ethan N. Saliba, B.C. Bennett, & Jay Hertel Effects of balance training on gait parameters in patients with chronic ankle instability: A randomized controlled trial.

Clinical Rehabilitation, 23, 609–21.

H. Newby, T. Weko, David Breneman, T. Johanneson, & P. Maasen OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education: Japan. Paris, France: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Tonya R. Moon Myth: High-stakes tests are synonymous with rigor and difficulty. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53, 277–279.

Robert C. Pianta & Bridget Hamre Conceptualization, measurement, and improvement of classroom processes: Standardized observation can leverage capacity. Educational Researcher, 38(2), 109–119.

Susan A. Saliba, Ethan N. Saliba, K.F. Pugh, A. Chhabra, D. Diduch Rehabilitation considerations of a brachial plexus injury with complete avulsion of C5 and C6 nerve roots in a college football player: A case study. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach, 1(5) 370–375.

C. G. Schnittka & Randy L. Bell Preservice biology teachers’ use of interactive display systems to support reforms-based science instruction.

Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(2), 131–159.

M. W. Stuhlman & Robert C. Pianta Profiles of educational quality in first grade.

The Elementary School Journal, 109(4), 323–342

M. Schwartz, P.M. Sadler, G. Sonnert, & Robert H. Tai Depth versus breadth: How content coverage in high school science courses relates to later success in college science coursework. Science Education, 93(5), 798–826.

Patrick H. Tolan, D. Gorman-Smith, D. B. Henry, & M. Schoeny The effects of a booster prevention program on child behavior and family functioning: The SAFEChildren program.

Prevention Science, 10, 287–297.

Pamela D. Tucker & D. G. Pounder Supervision and personnel administration.

In B. McGraw, P. L. Peterson, & E. Baker (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of education (3rd ed.). Oxford: Elsevier.

S. Walpole & Michael C. McKenna Everything you’ve always wanted to know about literacy coaching but were afraid to ask: A review of policy and research. In K. M. Leander, D. W. Rowe, D. K. Dickinson, R. T. Jimenez, M. K. Hundley, & V. J. Risko (Eds.), Fifty-ninth yearbook of the National Reading Conference (pp. 23–33).

Milwaukee: NRC.

In Print: Recent Books by Curry School Faculty and Staff

Daniel Duke Differentiating school leadership: Facing the challenges of practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin J. Gess-Newsome, J. Luft, & Randy L. Bell (Eds.) Reforming secondary science instruction.

Washington, DC: National Science Teachers Association.

Daniel P. Hallahan, J. M Kauffman, & Paige C. Pullen Exceptional learners: Introduction to special education (11th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

F. Johnston, Marcia Invernizzi, C. Juel, & D. Lewis-Wagner Book buddies: A tutoring framework for struggling readers (2nd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.

Michael C. McKenna & K. A. D. Stahl Assessment for reading instruction (2nd ed). New York: Guilford.

Robert C. Pianta & C. Howes (Eds.) The promise of pre-K. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing C. Denegar, Ethan Saliba, & Susan Saliba Therapeutic modalities (3rd ed.).

Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 55

An Opportunity to

Serve

A “Young Washingtonian to Watch” Reconnects with Curry

and colleagues, which later turned into twice-monthly newsletters. In 2004 he helped pioneer education blogging with Eduwonk.com, an award-winning site now considered to be the go-to source for education policy news. An Education Week study cited Rotherham’s blog as among the most influential information sources

T

in education today.

Rotherham had finished his Curry

he Curry Foundation’s newest board

degree soon after leaving the Clinton administration and had

member earned a master’s degree in social

returned to work at PPI. In 2005 he cofounded Education

foundations of education from the Curry School

Sector with journalist Thomas Toch. A self-described “serial

in 2000. Yet, as a former White House advisor

nonprofit entrepreneur,” Rotherham envisioned Education

who is considered to be one of Washington’s

Sector as an “independent think tank that challenges conven-

leading commentators on education policy,

tional thinking in education policy.”

Andrew J. Rotherham may just be in a class by himself among Curry alumni.

Rotherham’s impressive resumé also includes an appointment to the Virginia Board of Education by Gov. Mark

Rotherham began his coursework at the Curry School

Warner (2005–09). He writes regularly for U.S. News & World

before founding the 21st Century Schools Project at the

Report and has authored a mountain of policy reports, books,

Progressive Policy Institute and continued while he was serv-

and articles for consumer, trade, and academic publications.

ing as its director. Both were interrupted by a stint as special

In 2007 Washingtonian magazine declared him one of the “40

assistant to the president for domestic policy during the

under Forty” young Washingtonians to watch.

Clinton administration (1999–00). Just shy of thirty years old,

Recently, Rotherham spoke with Curry magazine about

he managed education policy activities at the White House

his experience with the school and his interest in serving on

and advised President Clinton on a wide range of education

the Curry Foundation board:

issues, including the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, charter schools and public school choice, and increasing accountability in federal policy.

During this period he also began sending out mass e-mails of news, analysis, and commentary on education issues to friends

What brought you to the Curry School for your degree work?

It’s the best program in Virginia, where I needed to be located, and the program overlapped with what I wanted to learn in a master’s program.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 57

Foundation Report

“The most important thing Curry is doing right is trying to become better.”

What do you think the Curry School is doing right?

Curry is obviously the flagship program in Virginia and enjoys a good national reputation. And there are plenty of examples of interesting and important things happening within the school, but it’s a credit to the leadership at Curry

What did you find most valuable about your Curry experience?

that no one is satisfied with where the school is. So rather

The diversity of coursework. I took courses from several

than any particulars, the most important thing Curry is do-

disciplines, like school law and education finance, but also

ing right is trying to become better, to ensure that the work

courses on substance abuse, history, and character educa-

at the school is relevant to the direction education is moving

tion. In my work now I still use both the various texts and

nationally, and that the experience for students is as power-

also the knowledge base, for instance, around finance or the

ful as it can be.

philosophic tradition underlying many of the norms in our education system.

How did your Curry experience influence you?

You are working on a Ph.D. in political science at U.Va. What are you focusing on and why?

Yes. I’m studying in the Department of Politics. but un-

What I learned. The work that I do professionally is geared

fortunately that’s been on a slow track since my state board

toward ambitious reform of the public education system to

appointment, the birth of my twin girls (at U.Va.’s fantastic

address the systemic inequities that we allow to persist today.

hospital) and my professional responsibilities. So I’m done

What happens to low-income students and students of color

with my coursework but still need to finish up. I wanted to

in our public school system is catastrophic for this country.

pursue that degree to get deeper on some of the behavioral

But developing ideas that can truly address those problems

issues that undergird much of the professional work I do.

requires a firm grounding in where we’ve been, where we are, and how things work. I got that at Curry.

You recently resigned from Education Sector. What’s next?

Education Sector’s been a great experience and I’ve

What attracted you to the Curry Foundation board of directors?

learned a great deal. But I was ready for something different. So along with several very accomplished colleagues

Professionally, I was aware of and respected Bob Pianta’s

I’ve launched a new organization to support leadership

work, so when he asked if I’d serve, it would have been hard

and capacity building among entities trying to dramatically

to say no. And, of course, it’s an opportunity to serve.

change outcomes for low-income kids. We provide a variety of professional services, and I lead the organization’s work

What influence do you hope to have?

egy. We’re calling it Bellwether Education Partners and are

from the University in different ways, and this is an opportu-

excited about the impact we know it can have. I’m also co-

nity to give back. In my work I’m privileged to be able to work

publishing a subscription-based service on education policy

all over the country with a variety of incredible socially entre-

forecasting through Whiteboard Education Advisors, and I

preneurial ventures, leading reformers in the public sector,

continue to write and publish the blog. I am going to be a se-

and amazing educators in different kinds of schools. If some

nior fellow at the Center for Reinventing Public Education at

of the learning I’ve accumulated in that work can help Curry

the University of Washington too. It’s an exciting time in the

get even better or can connect Curry with leading-edge work

education policy space right now.­—Lynn Bell

and individuals, then I want to do that.

around thought leadership, idea generation, and policy strat-

It’s not really about influence at all. Rather, I’ve benefited

58 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Foundation Report

Celebrate!

W

ith two years still left in the Campaign for the Curry School, our generous alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and parents have achieved a remarkable milestone. As of December 31, 2009, the Curry School Foundation has met its fundraising goal of $55 million!

We are proud to be the second school in the University of Virginia to meet its campaign goal, and we

give all the credit to our generous donors. The campaign kicked off with a $22 million capital campaign gift from Daniel M. Meyers—the largest gift ever to an American education school—and the gifts both large and small from our supporters have continued at an unprecedented rate for the Curry School.

“This level of support received throughout the campaign is a reaffirmation that the Curry School has both the vision and capacity to deliver on its potential and promise to make a difference in public education in the United States,” said Dean Bob Pianta.

What’s Next? espite the extraordinary level of support

D

The Campaign for the Curry School is clearly not over. We

the Curry School has received over the past six years of the

still need $1.7 million toward our capital campaign to com-

campaign, Dean Pianta believes there is “so much more to

plete finishing work on Bavaro Hall and to avoid financing

do.” A first-rate faculty needs resources to take innovative and

costs. Additional fundraising efforts will focus on new in-

effective programs to many, many more children, teachers, and

vestments in faculty endowments, student financial aid, and

schools, he said. “And we must increase support for students

research and program support—all of which will ultimately

so we can continue to attract the best and most diverse student

affect the academic and physical wellbeing of children and

body possible. Make no mistake,” Pianta added, “America’s

families across the state and nation.

students need us to do even more and do it better.”

How to Give to the Curry School of Education

Campaign Progress as of 12/31/09:

100% achievement! $55 million … and counting

To make your donation by mail, send a check payable to the Curry School Foundation to 405 Emmet Street South P. O. Box 400276 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4276 To give online, submit your credit card information through the Curry School Foundation’s secure Web site: http://campaign.virginia.edu/ supportcurry.

You may reach the Curry Foundation office by phone at (434) 924-0854.

Foundation Report

60 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Foundation Report

New Digs Almost Ready for

Occupancy B

avaro Hall will be ready for occupancy

more interdisciplinary model of research and teaching. This

this summer—on schedule and on budget. Faculty, staff,

philosophy can be seen in the school’s most recent faculty

and students are all eagerly looking forward to the many

hires, and it will also be demonstrated in the physical layout

ways this beautiful new facility will help advance the Curry

of Bavaro Hall. Faculty offices will be strategically arranged

School’s mission to discover, create, and change.

to encourage collaboration across fields of expertise, rather

A first-class facility for a first-class education school.

than arranging them within departmental silos.

Bavaro Hall’s architectural style presents an attractive face

Much-needed facilities for welcoming our guests. Bavaro

for the Curry School that is more consistent with the rest of

Hall will enjoy a large, two-story atrium just inside its main

Mr. Jefferson’s University. As the Curry School continues to

entrance with an adjacent multipurpose room. These expan-

expand its reputation for evidence-based solutions to educa-

sive, inviting spaces will allow the Curry School to welcome

tion challenges, the building is emblematic of the school’s

professional colleagues, partners, students, and the public

increasing value and status within the University community.

for meetings and professional development, bringing them

Double the space for carrying out our mission. The Curry

on location where some of the most critical work in the

School is a world-class education school, currently scattered

country is taking place to improve the lives of children and

across the city of Charlottesville. Bavaro Hall will nearly dou-

families.

ble the Curry School’s facilities and will make room to gather

Expanded clinical outreach opportunities. Bavaro Hall

in many faculty members, education research scientists, and

will bring together four of the school’s renowned evalua-

students now conducting their groundbreaking work in off-

tion and treatment clinics for the first time in the Sheila C.

Grounds offices.

Johnson Center for Human Services, with a shared recep-

Better space for student interactions. Bavaro Hall will

tion area and waiting room. Those clinics will include the

provide the multiple open conversational areas, comfortable

Personal and Career Development Center, the Center for

seating, and an appealing environment that Ruffner Hall has

Clinical Psychology, the McGuffey Reading Center, and the

always lacked. Bavaro Hall is designed to attract students and

Speech-Language-Hearing Center. This center will become

encourage interactions among each other and with faculty in

the premier psychoeducational treatment center in Virginia,

ways that will increase opportunities for collaborative learn-

allowing parents to bring their children to one location for

ing and innovative problem solving.

an array of assessments and services.

Cost savings. Bringing in off-Grounds Curry units, like

Ruffner Hall renovation. Once Bavaro Hall is completed,

the communications disorders program and the Center for

Ruffner Hall will undergo renovation to open up corridors

Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, will save thou-

that once stretched down the center of the building and

sands of dollars each year in expensive rental costs—money

were closed years ago to provide desperately needed space.

that can be put to better use in supporting our topnotch stu-

State-of-the-art classrooms will be created, along with im-

dents and faculty.

proved faculty and graduate student offices and educational

More conducive to interdisciplinary work. Because the na-

research centers. Once the renovation is complete, the archi-

ture of our nation’s education challenges requires expertise

tect’s design will allow Ruffner and Bavaro to flow together in

from multiple fields, the Curry School has been shifting to a

a seamless way.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 61

Foundation Report

Sample Bavaro Hall Naming Opportunities The Commons

$3,000,000

Communication Disorders Suite

$1,000,000

Center for Leadership/Foundation/Policy

$500,000

Teacher Education Department

$250,000

Open Meeting Area

$150,000

Meeting Room

$50,000

Contact Jay Jackson, Director of Development at the Curry School Foundation, for more information (434) 924-3010.

Robert H. Pate Human Services Suite

The JanIe Gammon Crutchfield Suite

At his retirement party in 2007, Robert Pate, professor

Jane Iris Crutchfield (M.Ed. ’52) was retired as a

emeritus in counselor education, received a fitting gift from

librarian—an educator students remembered fondly well

his two children and their spouses: The Human Services

into adulthood, one who cared deeply about her students

Suite in Bavaro Hall will be named in his honor.

“My father devoted his career to the Curry School,” says Bob’s son

Robert and Ellen Pate

and who loved getting them interested in books.

Miss Crutchfield passed way in December 2006. Because she believed in the importance of education, she had directed one-half of her estate to the Curry School of Education.

Hew Pate, “especially the Human

Miss Crutchfield left her bequest to the Curry School in

Services Department. My sister and

memory of her mother, Janie Gammon Crutchfield, who had

I thought helping support Curry’s

supported her daughter’s pursuit of education even through

important mission was the best way

the Depression years. Miss Crutchfield possessed the foresight to

we could honor the example he set

make her gift without restrictions, so it could be directed to the

for us of love, integrity, and dedication to serving others.”

area of greatest need. The Curry School and the trustees of her

Pate served as the first chair of the Curry School’s Human

estate agreed that naming a faculty suite in Bavaro Hall would

Services Department from 1984 to 1994. In 1995 he was ap-

address a top funding priority for the school and honor her

pointed dean for administrative services, a position he held

mother while also recognizing Miss Crutchfield’s generosity.

until 2007. In the latter years of that role, Bob devoted a significant amount of his time to the planning, preparation, and

The Janie Gammon Crutchfield Suite will be located on the third floor of Bavaro Hall.

funding of Bavaro Hall.

“My father has dedicated his life to selflessly serving others while never wanting any recognition along the way,” says Mary

A number of opportunities remain for permanently

Ellen Pate Barton. “This was our way of recognizing him and

associating your name—or the name of someone you wish to

his forty outstanding years of service to the Curry School.”

honor—with the Curry School of Education in both Bavaro Hall

The 1,000-square-foot Robert H. Pate, Jr., Human Services Suite

and Ruffner Hall. Additional capital gifts free up school funds

will house the chair of the Department of Human Services and sup-

committed to the project and allow money to be diverted to

port staff.

areas of the school’s budget that have been most stressed by

62 |

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

state budget cuts.

Foundation Report

Foundation News

leadership, counseling, communications disorders, kinesiology, and more.

The Curry School Foundation welcomes new ex-

Helping children and families is the

ecutive director, Margaret Ann Bollmeier. As executive direc-

primary objective for the faculty and

tor, Bollmeier leads the Curry School’s efforts in attracting

students.”

philanthropic support from alumni, friends, corporations,

Bollmeier says there is much work

and foundations.

still to be done, and her top objectives

Bollmeier and her husband Kyle spent two years in

include the following:

Charlottesville in the mid-nineties while she was director of de-

Increasing annual support. Annual unrestricted support

velopment for the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and

provides much-needed discretionary funding for the school

Public Policy. Now they have returned with their two daugh-

that can be applied to areas of greatest need. It also funds the

ters after spending the past 15 years in Seattle, Washington.

operation of the foundation, so it can focus on raising long-

While in the Pacific Northwest, Margaret Ann worked

term, permanent support for school and its initiatives.

as president and chief executive officer of Humanities

Raising support for targeted initiatives. She will be work-

Washington for ten years, then joined the University of

ing with the dean, his leadership team, and the foundation

Washington for four years as the assistant dean for advance-

board of directors to seek funding for initiatives that will fur-

ment in the College of Education.

ther improve education in the state and nation. The Curry

She arrived at the Curry Foundation in January, just after it achieved its $55 million campaign goal.

School is the center of some of the most critical work to improve K–12 education in the country. Expanding exist-

It’s an interesting time to arrive on the scene, she says, but

ing research centers, creating new centers, and supporting

she is excited about the challenges ahead, as the school con-

individual faculty projects will all help keep Curry on the

tinues to seek philanthropic support well beyond $55 million

forefront of educational innovation.

in the remaining years of the campaign.

Establishing additional endowed professorships. The

“Before coming here, I knew about the Curry School’s

school’s ability to make a lasting impact on learning is di-

reputation for high quality teacher preparation and its

rectly dependent on our ability to attract and retain a highly

groundbreaking educational research,” she says. “I am hon-

respected faculty and to support their teaching and research.

ored to be working with a school that is positioned to be a

The school needs both eminent scholars, who can use their

leader in addressing the nation’s education challenges.”

experience to attract grant support for high-profile, high-

As she learns more about the work taking place at Curry,

impact research projects, and emerging scholars, who can

she says she is continually impressed with the single-minded

launch their careers at Curry conducting significant research

focus on improving student academic and physical health and

in our new and expanded centers.

wellbeing. “It runs through the every facet of the school’s pro-

Bollmeier holds a J.D. from the Washington and Lee

grams,” she says, “teacher preparation, educational research,

University School of Law and a B.A. degree from the University

assessment, policy studies, curriculum and instruction, school

of Texas at Austin.

Many of Curry’s beloved emeriti faculty members continue to generously support the school, and we were able to round up a few of them for a photo at the Foundation’s most recent Dean’s Circle of Friends celebration. Pictured are (l to r) Robert H. Pate; Jay L. Chronister; Jennings L. Wagoner, Jr.; Richard R. Abidin; Joseph H. Gieck; and Harold J. Burbach.

Curry Magazine · Spring 2010

| 63

Foundation Report

The Richard Abidin Scholarship Challenge The Richard Abidin Scholarship was established in 2000 in honor of Richard R. Abidin, Jr., retired Curry School faculty member and former director of the program in clinical and school psychology. Each year one or more students studying clinical and school psychology receives scholarship funds in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the program.

To increase the impact of the Abidin Scholarship fund, Dick Abidin has offered a challenge for alumni.

He will match all new donations to the fund up to $100,000. The response from alumni has already produced several thousand dollars.

The challenge will continue through June 30.

To support this effort or to learn more about financing endowed funds for Curry School students, contact Jay Jackson, director of development at the Curry School Foundation, by phone (434-924-0854) or e-mail (jayjackson@virginia.edu).

Richard and Mary Abidin at the 2009 Curry School Foundation Honors and Awards Luncheon.

Curry Foundation 2009 Board of Directors Officers

Board Members

Daniel M. Meyers Chair

Carol Hawkins Armstrong ’76

Stewart D. Roberson ’77, ’87

Beth J. Baptist ’89

Andrew J. Rotherham

Sandra F. Stern ’85 Vice Chair

Robert A. Barnhardt ’74

Paul H. Sartori

Christine Bavaro

Marvin N. Schoenhals

Paulette Goerig Katzenbach Vice Chair

Mary-Scott B. Birdsall ’66

Elizabeth G. Staunton ’85

David W. Breneman

W. McIlwaine Thompson, Jr.

Peter McE. Buchanan Secretary

Carolyn M. Callahan

Coro Wilbur Student Representative

Mark C. Hampton Treasurer

Irving S. Driscoll, Jr. ’77, ’79 Margaret Kemp Frischkorn ’98 Sandra R. Galef ’65

Ex-Officio Members

William D. Hansen

Robert C. Pianta Dean

Kevin J. Hessberg Student Representative Gary F. Holloway Sheila C. Johnson Rebecca Kneedler Richard E. Lawson ’72 Alana M. Levinson-LaBrosse ’08

Note: Curry alumni are designated with their graduation year(s).

Update your email address at HoosOnline.virginia.edu

University of Virginia Curry School of Education

Jane R. Buck Director of Foundation Operations

Lewis F. Payne, Jr. Board of Visitors Representative

news and announcements!

64 |

Jay Jackson Director of Development

Jason M. Palmer

Keep up with the latest Curry School of Education

Margaret Ann Bollmeier Executive Director

Erin Lowery celebrates her dual BA/MT degrees in May 2009.

Curry School of Education Foundation, Inc. 405 Emmet Street South PO Box 400268 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4276