Resources-K-12
Collaborations/Outreach:
Virginia Tech is ardently committed to the advancement
of the Commonwealth's primary and secondary education. Particularly
in the College of Liberal Arts & Human Sciences (CLAHS), many collaborations
are in place that nurture both the student curriculum and the professional
development of teachers. Programs that are reviewed here are not so much
outreach related (such as workshops or in-service opportunities) but ones
that contribute over longer periods of time. From the waters of the
Chesapeake to the rugged highlands of the Blue Ridge, Virginia Tech has
been and will continue to be responsive to school districts' needs and
requests.
Collaboration
Links At A Glance:
ED Leadership & Policy
Studies
Teaching and Learning
Educational Leadership
and Policy Studies
Richmond Doctoral Cohort:
In its fourth year, 20 administrators/superintendents, etc. are currently in
the writing stage of their dissertation. In January 2000, the Richmond
2 cohort began with 26 participants. The Richmond doctoral cohort meets
at Henrico County High School and provides the opportunity to complete an
Ed.D in Education.
Contact Dick Salmon: rgsalmon@vt.edu
Stafford Doctoral Program:
ELPS has initiated a new doctoral cohort to serve school divisions in the Stafford
and Northern Neck areas of the state. Stafford County made the request
last spring on behalf of the school divisions in the area, including Stafford
County, Prince William County, Culpepper, Caroline, Fredericksburg City, Northumberland
County and Lancaster County. Classes meet at Colonial Forge High School
in Stafford County.
Contact Cecilia Krill: ckrill@vt.edu
Tidewater
Cohort Program:
This program which operates out of the Hampton Roads Center has produced over
200 doctorates since its inception in 1974. A principal preparation program
will begin in August 2001, while a new doctoral cohort commences in January
2001.
Contact Travis Twiford: ttwiford@vt.edu
Roanoke Counseling Education:
For the last 20 years, a master's cohort for counseling education has serviced
Roanoke City and Roanoke County. The program assists school counseling
needs with counselor education practicum students. This cohort now
meets at the newly opened Roanoke Graduate Center. Students work with
clients from Roanoke City and Roanoke County Schools.
Contact Hildy Getz: hgetz@vt.edu
Counseling Education--Master's and Doctoral (Ed.D) Programs:
Since 1971, Virginia Tech has delivered both master's and doctoral counselor
programs in Northern Virginia. They are now held at the Northern Virginia
Center.
Principal Preparation
Programs
Abingdon:
Started in 1990. Contact David Parks: parks@vt.edu
Northern Virginia:
Started in 1971--averages 25 students per cohort. There is also a doctoral
program. Contact Steve Parson: parson@vt.edu
Roanoke:
Begun in 1996, this program used to meet on the Blacksburg campus but moved
to meet the needs of the population.
Contact David Parks: parks@vt.edu
Special Education
TTAC--Training & Technical
Assistance Center:
The mission of T/TAC is to improve educational opportunities and contribute
to the success of children and youth with disabilities (birth-22 years) and
children who have disadvantages or are at-risk for school failure (birth-9
years). The Center provides quality training and technical assistance
in response to local, regional, and state needs. T/TAC services increase
the capacity of schools, school personnel, service providers, and families
to meet the needs of children and youth.
Contact Diane Gillespie: dgilles@vt.edu
LRE Watch:
LRE Watch refers to issues related to the special education legal principle of
the Least Restrictive Environment. LRE Watch activities include a web site
in preparation for the Educational Policy Institute that tracks legal cases nationwide
and in Virginia. The goal is to keep educators/parents/policy makers up
to date on student placement issues in special education. There is a presentation
for K-12 educators focusing on Education Beyond Inclusion: Are We Offering
our Children a Special Education? Crockett also offers summer graduate
classes off campus including Administration of Special Services to masters and
educational specialist degree students in the Preparation Program for School
Principals and Supervisors.
Contact Jean Crockett: crocketj@vt.edu
SOVRAC
Leadership Academy, now in its 16th year, provides assessment and
development programs for school administrators in 25 school divisions throughout
western Virginia. This on-going program where prospective school
administrators are nominated by their superintendents for a two-day performance
based evaluation of twelve administrative skills. Assessors are principals,
central office personnel, and professors who have been trained in the NASSP
assessment process. Superintendents and candidates receive a 10 page
report of their performance, delivered in a feedback session in the home
school division.
Contact David Alexander: mdavid@vt.edu
Virginia VIEW-Vital
Information for Education and Work
Virginia
View's mission is to provide accurate, current, comprehensive
career information that is accessible to all Virginians. Since
1980, this grant funded project has provided career information via
VIEW newspapers, Interactive VIEW software, the VIEW web site, and
the career information line (800-542-5870). It is found in the K-12
public and private schools, colleges and universities, libraries,
state agencies, correctional education centers, and many other locations
throughout the Commonwealth. Virginia VIEW also provides training
workshops for counselors and helping professionals throughout the
year.
Contact Mary Landon Moore: mlandonm@vt.edu
The Western Virginia
Public Education Consortium
The Western Virginia
Public Education Consortium was established by the Virginia
General Assembly to identify and develop research based intervention
strategies for critical educational issues of common concern in the
region. Comprised of 15 public school divisions, the consortium's
main foci are the institution and integration of collaborative technology
into administration and instruction, and the development of programs
for the recruitment, retention, and staff development of teachers
in Western Virginia. The consortium partners with communities,
businesses, and institutions of higher education to effect the desired
outcomes. (540) 831-6414 or
Contact Michael Perry: mperry2@runet.edu
Department of
Teaching and Learning sponsors the following programs for professional
development:
Arlington Literacy:
This is a master's degree program that operates out of Virginia Tech's northern
Virginia Center. It is for literacy teachers in the Arlington school
system and involves about 25 practicing teachers.
Contact Rosary Lalik: rlalik@vt.edu
Abingdon Vocational/Literacy Program:
This collaborative program is designed to integrate vocational education with
core subjects. About 13 practicing teachers are working to build curriculum
bridges for students and programs.
Contact
Career
and Technical Education (CTE)Teacher Support:
This is a web based series of courses for practicing and unlicensed teachers
to build their skills and understanding of career and technical education. Virginia
Tech also offers courses to practicing teachers for recertification using two-way
video throughout the state.
Contact Betty Heath-Camp: heathb@vt.edu or Daisy Stewart: daisys@vt.edu
Health and Physical Education Electronic Master's
This program is for practicing health and physical education teachers who study
theory and processes in the summer and then apply these ideas in their teaching
practice (project based learning) during the school year. It is a unique two-year
program that utilizes electronic and distance learning technologies as well
as a two-week on-campus orientation. Students from across the country
have enrolled and graduated from this program. This program began in
the summer of 1997 and was the first of its kind in the nation.
Contact Rich Stratton: rstratto@vt.edu
Instructional Technology
Masters (ITMA & ITMA2):
This distance delivered degree program in Instructional Technology will graduate
over 50 Masters (MA) and Educational Specialists (EdS) by Spring of 2001. The
students are from cohorts in Franklin County, Abingdon, and Northern Virginia. A
new group (ITMA2) began this Fall 2000 with over 100 students who will graduate
in Spring 2003. The new students are from Roanoke, Abingdon, and Virginia
Beach. ITMA and ITMA2 are 30 hour, on-line degree programs for practicing
teachers in the Commonwealth. They are portfolio based and meet the standards
set by the Commonwealth, the International Society for Technology in Education
(ISTE) and the Virginia Tech Instructional Technology Program. Teachers
gain valuable instructional technology skills for immediate application in
the classroom. This professional development opportunity is the only
degree granting initiative in the state that addresses technology SOL skills
for educators. X-Calibre award winner.
Contact John Burton, Barbara Lockee:
jburton@vt.edu, or barbara.lockee@vt.edu
NOVA Math/Science Career Switcher Program:
In its third year, this program prepares second career teachers to work in
middle and high school math and science programs as licensed teachers. It
is focused on the two highest need curricula for teachers and heavily oriented
to practical experience and supervision. This master's degree teacher
preparation program, administered out of Tech's Northern Virginia campus, is
thriving with mid-life career-changing professionals. In turn, clamoring
school districts have placed 100 percent of the graduates-mature people who
can contribute life skills and personal anecdotes to their new careers.
Contact Tom Gatewood or Steve Gilbert: gatewood@vt.edu or stgilbe1@vt.edu
PT3=Preparing
Tomorrow's Teachers to use Technology:
Designed to improve the technology opportunities for student teaching by developing
classroom teachers' knowledge of technology as well as to ensure that teachers
entering the professional know how to integrate technology into their instruction. This
program has been implemented in two area high schools and two local elementary
schools.
Contact Pat Kelly: kellyp@vt.edu
The Rockbridge County Master's Program:
Begun in the Fall of 1993, this field based master's program was developed
in collaboration with the administration and faculty of Rockbridge County Schools
to transform the curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices in the school
division. The first cohort of 19 teachers led the way in a study of their
own practice, program development, and school restructuring. The second
cohort of 21 teachers focused on the integration of technology into practice. A
third cohort is planned to begin in Fall 2001 and will tie the work of the
previous cohorts in with a literacy focus. All course work is project
based and designed by the teachers to benefit instructional practices at the
classroom, school or school division level.
Contact Susan Magliaro: sumags@vt.edu
Special Education Teacher Support:
A series of web-based and two-way video courses that is made available to practicing
teachers to prepare them to work with learning disabled and emotionally disturbed
students.
Tools for Transition:
Graduate students in Dr. Asselin's spring class provide seminars to high school
students with learning disabilities on preparing for the transition from high
school to higher education and work.
Contact Susan Asselin: sasselin@vt.edu
Southwest
Virginia Writing Project:
Since 1979 the SWVWP located at Virginia Tech has been one of eight sites in
the Virginia Writing Project and a site in the National Writing Project network. The
Project runs a Summer Institute each year in which K-12 teachers come together
to examine effective practices of teaching writing. Throughout the year
Project Fellows from all institutes have the opportunity to participate in
a range of activities, for example writing groups if they wish to write for
publication or teacher inquiry groups if they want to study their own teaching
practice. The Writing Project is designed to develop teacher leadership
that influences curriculum and instruction in writing.
Contact Pat Kelly: kellyp@vt.edu
Systemic
Reform of Mathematics, K-5, for Virginia:
A National Science Foundation funded project charged to develop and implement
math reform teaching and curriculum in K-5. It provides support and professional
development for K-5 teachers in Montgomery and Albemarle Counties for implementing
adopted K-5 reform mathematics curricula.
Contact Jay Wilkins, Harold Mick, or Wayne Patty (Math Dept.,CAS): wilkins@vt.edu
or mick@vt.edu
Collaborations that
Contribute to the K-12 Curriculum
Disney Learning Partnership's Creative Learning Communities Grant Program
Sponsored by the Disney Learning Partnership's Creative Learning Communities
Grant Program, this three year project was one of 18 selected from over 1300
applicants. The goals are to foster teachers' collaborative development
of creative teaching strategies and enhance the learning environment and student
academic performance at Margaret Beeks. It is also dedicated to help strengthen
the relationships between and among students, faculty, parents and the greater
community. A group of 25 undergraduates in the early childhood education
program spend three hours per week working side by side with classroom teachers
and specialists each semester.
Contact Janet Sawyers: sawyers@vt.edu
Earth
Systems Connections:
This NASA Project is a multifaceted, interactive mathematics, science, and
technology curriculum where elementary students are encouraged and challenged
to explore how many of the Earth's systems operate and connect with one another. The
curriculum is designed to be a combination of hands-on activities and exercises
that take traditional classroom tools (e.g.. pencil and paper), as well as
new and emerging educational technologies (e.g.. computer-based tools including
the Internet). In the Earth Systems Connections curriculum, a combination
of classroom lessons are used that make content not only personalized to the
participating schools and students, but also broadly applicable to the world
as a whole. There are three locations/seven schools in the United States
that are involved in this project--Montgomery County,VA is represented by Margaret
Beeks Elementary and Prices Fork Elementary.
Contact George Glasson: glassong@vt.edu
GRAPHIC COMM
CENTRAL:
Established in 1997, GRAPHIC COMM CENTRAL includes a wondrous array (about
2000 content files and 3000 categorized links) of instructional resources for
graphic communication teachers and students. Specific items on GCC include
virtual tours of trade shows and graphic communications production facilities;
a "virtual textbook" containing more than 600 online articles and tutorials; "Discover
Print" a career information CD-ROM converted to Web format that includes streaming
video "testimonials;" crossword puzzles for students; and curriculum materials
for teachers at all levels. In addition, news abstracts are posted every
few days. By Fall 2000, GCC was recording more than 100,000 electronic
accesses per month.
Contact Mark Sanders: msanders@vt.edu
Financial Planning Program:
This curriculum is provided to schools along with training and assistance with
guest speakers. It has been shared with thousands of high school students
in hundreds of schools across the Commonwealth. There is national impact
data that shows that kids who participate learn financial management concepts. It
complements high school curricula, especially in vocational areas.
Contact Amber Wilson: aawilson@vt.edu
Learning Communities for Pre-Service Teachers:
A collaboration of teachers and pre-service teachers that involves four local
elementary schools (Kipps, Prices Fork, Gilbert Linkous and Harding Avenue)
to develop pre-service teaching experiences that are designed to develop a
learning community for all participants. Through meetings with teachers
on a regular basis and having teachers become major participants in the design
and evaluation aspects of the program, the connections between university and
public schools are enhanced.
Contact Ann Potts: apotts@vt.edu
Reggio
Emilia Approach at Blacksburg Middle School:
In a creative and collaborative attempt to recast the Reggio Emilia apporach
for older students, the Blacksburg Middle School in partnership with Lynn Hill
and Vickie Fu has embarked on a yearlong inquiry or environmental concerns
in the new River Valley. Over 150 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students
and ten teachers have teamed
up to explore the topic and the process involved. Reports
of this year's first effort will be made at the international conference "Recasting
the Reggio Emilia Approach to Inform Teaching in the United States: A Landscape
of Possibilities" that will be held on the VT campus June 14-16, 20001.
Documentation of the students' projects will be on display during the conference.
Contact Vicki Fu: vfu@vt.edu
Research Tomorrow Project (RTP):
RTP is a National Science Foundation sponsored project designed to generate
a research agenda for linking science and math expertise to K-12 schooling
around issues of diversity, curriculum development, and instructional methods. The
project includes the work of 40+ individuals across a vast array of fields,
graduate students, and teachers. It was initiated to identify the points
of connection between engineering and social sciences that advance children's
learning.
Contact Mark Benson (College of Human Resources, Human Development) or Jack
Lesko (College of Engineering): mbenson@vt.edu
The Dream Room Project:
The Dream Room Project has linked a class of Blacksburg Middle School sixth
graders and second year interior design students for the last three years. The
Tech students meet with the sixth graders and act as the designer for their
BMS "clients." The BMS students participate in a field trip to Wallace
Hall and are exposed to the interior design and housing programs and facilities.
Contact Julia Beamish: jbeamish@vt.edu
The
Web Pal Project:
The Web Pal Project connects Virginia Tech pre-service teachers with 8th grade
students in an electronic correspondence project centered around multicultural
and human rights literature. The students read and discuss multicultural
short stories, poetry, and a novel through three on-line formats. In
pairs, the students correspond through e-mail about the books they are reading. In
small groups, the students discuss novels in a MOO, a virtual space where the
groups can interact in real time. In large groups, the students interact
asynchronously through the NetForum, an electronic bulletin board that allows
them to discuss topics, essays, or poetry related to the literature. In
this fourth year, the project is realizing a long-term goal, as a class from
the Loudon County School system will be added in January 2001.
Contact Kathleen Carico: kcarico@vt.edu
Institute for Connecting
Science Research to the Classroom
Institute for Connecting
Science Research to the Classroom (ICSRC)was established four years
ago and taps science and technology resources of independent labs, centers,
and sponsored research projects from seven colleges on the Virginia Tech
campus. Coordinated by the College of Human Resources and Education,
the ICSRC brings together faculty, corporate leaders, and K-12 educators
with common interests in enriching science and math education.
The mission of the ICSRC is threefold: to broker collaborative work
between K-12 teachers and university researchers; to translate research for
classroom application; and to train K-12 teachers in using the applied research
and administrators in managing a technology-rich learning environment.
Sponsored by major corporate gifts from Toyota USA Foundation and Bell
Atlantic, the ICSRC accomplishes its mission through the Teaching Inquiry
with the Latest Technologies (TILT) Program with 16 specific learning
applications and an annual conference; and the Technology Management
for School Leaders (TMSL) Program with eight Internet modules and a professional
development component.
TILT is a two-state professional development program. The first
stage matches university researchers with teachers in the collaborative
development of learning applications for elementary, middle and high
school students. The focus is on tapping research in sciences often
unavailable to K-12, such as biotechnology and materials science. The
goal is for students engaged in these learning applications to use the
actual protocols and technologies that practicing scientists use in their
inquiries. The second phase focuses on dissemination of 16 unique
learning applications through systemic professional development of K-12
teachers.
TMSL is designed to assist K-12 educators and administrators in developing
a knowledge base on topics ranging from understanding and evaluating
hardware and software to developing school/district technology plans. Teams
of school leaders interact with their colleagues and discussion leaders
to explore solutions to problems they face in using technology to increase
student achievement. TMSL is grounded in both state and national
technology standards for teachers and administrators.
Contact Joy Colbert or John Wenrich: colbertj@vt.edu or wenrich@vt.edu
Center for Assessment,
Evaluation, and Educational Programming
The
Center for Assessment, Evaluation, and Educational Programming provides
school systems with data collection, reporting, and analysis services
that directly impact the implementation of curriculum and other services. For
example, the center has tracked the graduates of vocational programs
to determine the effects of the curriculum and ways it can be changed
to improve the education students receive.
Contact Pat O'Reilly: oreilly@vt.edu
Diversity
Preparation
A unique and professional development opportunity will be available
for southwestern Virginia teachers in July 2001: Virginia Tech's
Southern African Studies Institute for Teachers (SASIT). This program
integrates social studies and science SOL content in a study focused
on the ecologies of this unique part of the world. The program
features a three-week field trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Malawi. Teacher
participants will have the option of earning from three-six semester
hours graduate credit. The first week of the program will be an
orientation held on the Virginia Tech campus. Participating teachers
will meet, interact with, and learn from Africanist scholars who are
experts in their fields, and teacher educators and museum educators whose
expertise is in educational foundations, technology and curriculum and
instruction.
Contact Josiah Tlou: tlou@vt.edu
School Uniforms
The School Uniforms Project is developing
a CD-ROM uniform chooser. This is a tool to be used by a school
planning committee to institute uniforms. It allows parents, educators,
and students to participate in the selection of a uniform style by answering
preference questions and morphing results.
Contact Joann Boles: boles@vt.edu
