THE OFFICE OF
SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT
NEWSLETTER
Spring 2013
Inside this issue:
Nature as Teacher:
Connecting young
learners with nature
through science,
gardening, and
literacy education .................3
Professors-in-Residence
Profile: Kathy Thompson
and Gayle Andrews ..............4
Toward Research-Based
Practice: Understanding
Children’s Development
of 21st-Century Skills ...........6
PDSD well-represented
at National Association
of Professional
Development Schools
Conference in
New Orleans .........................7
Archway Partnership
funds Education
Professional focused
on Birth-through-five
issues....................................7
Volume 4
Issue 2
W. R. Coile Middle School and Cedar
Shoals High School join the PDSD
The College of Education (COE)
and Clarke County School District
(CCSD) Professional Development
School District continues to grow!
In the spring semester of 2013,
W. R. Coile Middle School
and Cedar Shoals High School
launched as Model 3 PDS schools,
meaning that COE courses were
taught on-site.
These COE students took their Social Studies methods course at Cedar Shoals
HS, which became a new Model 3 Professional Development School this semester.
COILE MIDDLE SCHOOL
At Coile Middle School, Ruth Harman, faculty in the Department of Language and
Literacy Education, taught her Content-Based English as a Second Language Instruction
class. Her 19 COE master’s and doctoral students were trained to write very extensive
and non-evaluative field notes that looked at how students were being spiraled into
disciplinary knowledge through questioning strategies, class assignments, group work,
and multimedia.
continued on page 2
Meet Dr. Jack Parish
New Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement
On March 1, Dr. Jack Parish assumed his new position as
the College of Education Associate Dean for Outreach and
Engagement, following prior Associate Dean Ron Cervero’s
appointment as UGA’s Associate Vice President for Instruction.
Parish began work in the Lifelong Education, Administration, and
Dr. Jack Parish
Policy (LEAP) Department in the College of Education in August
COE Associate Dean for
Outreach & Engagement
2008, following a 30-year career in K-12 education in Georgia.
While working in K-12 education, Dr. Parish served as a teacher, assistant principal,
principal, assistant personnel director, assistant superintendent, and superintendent.
Offiice of
School Engagement
Mission Statement ................8
COE Dean Craig Kennedy appointed Parish and commented, “Dr. Parish brings a wealth
of experience to the role of Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement. His expertise in
school and district leadership, school leadership training, and educational policy issues in the
state of Georgia are without peer. I look forward to working with Dr. Parish and improving
the COE’s impact on educational policy discussions both regionally and nationally.”
PDSD hosts first PDS
Workshop for Georgia
Educators .............................8
Since making the transition to higher education, Parish has demonstrated his commitment
to teaching, service, and research. In 2012, he was appointed as Clinical Associate Professor
with time allocated to teaching and service. From June 2011 through June 2012, he served
as the Executive Director of the Georgia Association of Educational Leaders (GAEL).
continued on page 6
Office of School Engagement Newsletter • Spring 2013
Page 2
PDSD - continued from page 1
Shelley Fallows, instructional coach at
Coile, and David Forker, a Coile teacher
and COE doctoral student, worked closely
with Harman and were instrumental in
integrating the COE students into the
Coile community.
In collaboration with Coile teachers, the
COE students had the opportunity to attend
science, mathematics, English language
arts, and social studies classes. They were
invited at times to contribute to classroom
discussion, but their purpose was to use
their field observations to develop curricular
design and teaching activities. At the end of
April, they met with teachers to share their
activities and present mini teaching units.
“Our PDS partnership at Coile this term
was a thoroughly rewarding experience
for my graduate students and for me. I
think the teachers who collaborated with
us also seemed to appreciate having our
culturally and linguistically diverse group
in the building and in their classrooms,”
explained Harman.
Principal Dwight Manzy also expressed
enthusiasm for the new partnership: “We
are excited about having Coile Middle
as a Professional Development School.
Having future educators coming in and
actually seeing, observing, and validating
some of the work that we are doing here
at Coile Middle has helped us to continue
focusing on our ultimate goal: Striving for
Excellence in Education.”
At Cedar Shoals High School, Sonia
Janis and Mardi Schmeichel, faculty in
the Department of Educational Theory
and Practice, became On-Site Instructors
this spring. They taught three COE social
studies methods and curriculum classes onsite two days a week to 11 students.
in a space that offers ways to unpack,
embrace, and reflect on the many
challenges of teaching social studies to
build character, resilience, understanding,
and solutions. They are learning to endure
and overcome such challenges before
taking on the full responsibility of teaching
social studies to classrooms of students as
professionals,” Janis said.
During their 15 hours per week at Cedar,
COE students not only took courses,
but also had many other learning
experiences, thanks to the collaboration
with teachers and administrators. COE
students participated in ongoing, weekly
observations with Cedar social studies
teachers Erin Adamson, Aaron Carter,
and Gavin Matesich and attended data
team meetings. Matesich and Carter
facilitated Micro-Teaching experiences for
practicum students four times during the
semester.
Dr. Tony Price, Cedar’s principal,
explained the mutual benefits of the
partnership, saying, “The PDS program
has been a wonderful example of the
UGA College of Education coming
together with Cedar Shoals High School
to provide a real-world learning experience
for tomorrow’s teachers. The college
students learn the challenges and rewards
of being a high school teacher today, and
the high school benefits from the support
these students provide to our classroom
teachers.”
Students also had learning sessions with
other administrators and staff, including the
principal, assistant principal, instructional
coach, special education teacher, and
nutritionist. COE students tutored Cedar
students who needed additional help with
social studies Tuesdays and Thursdays
afterschool and dialogued with a panel of
Cedar students on “What is an effective
teacher?”
To accommodate a larger number of COE
students in the fall, Janis and Schmeichel
will further expand the PDS partnership
by also teaching social studies education
courses at Clarke Central High School
(CCHS).
CEDAR SHOALS HIGH SCHOOL
“The pre-service teacher candidates are
experiencing authentic learning moments
In addition to Coile and Cedar, Clarke
Middle School’s PDS expanded this
spring to include an art education methods
class taught on-site by Tracie Costantino,
a faculty member in the UGA Lamar
Dodd School of Art.
LOOKING AHEAD
In 2013-14, plans are set for Barrow
Elementary School to become a Model 4
PDS school, meaning the school will have
a half-time Professor-in-Residence (PIR).
Jennifer James, faculty in the Department
of Educational Theory and Practice, who
has been an On-Site Instructor at Barrow
for two years will become the new PIR (see
article about her research on page 6).
These COE students took their Content-Based ESOL instruction class at Coile Middle
School, which became a new Model 3 Professional Development School this semester.
“Moving to a Model 4 will mean that I am
able to spend more time on-site working
with teachers in team-level and faculty
meetings, partnering with leadership
to define and implement professional
development initiatives, and supervise
student teachers. In addition, I will
continue to teach on-site and conduct my
research study,” James explained.
Page 3
Spring 2013 • Office of School Engagement Newsletter
Nature as Teacher: Connecting young learners with nature
through science, gardening, and literacy education
By contributing writers Bridget Ratajczak and Anne Shenk
“Nature Explorer’s Club is fun! Nature
Explorer’s Club is fun!” A group of Pre-K
students, clad in colorful canvas bucket hats,
chant. They stand around garden beds that
are filled with vegetable seedlings. Their
chant is led by UGA students from the
Birth through Five Teacher Preparation
Program. The Nature Explorer’s Club is a
weekly occurrence this spring semester at
the Clarke County School District’s Early
Learning Center.
Each week, each class of 3- and 4-yearold students attends a 30-minute Nature
Explorer’s Club session. During these
sessions, the UGA students lead puppet
shows, read books, and conduct hands-on
activities that teach the children a variety
of nature and science-related concepts.
The young learners have planted both
seeds and seedlings, mulched and watered
their gardens, learned about the “recipe”
for good soil, and examined earth worms,
which they added to their gardens. They
have planned a garden party at the end of
the semester when the vegetables are ready
to harvest.
Catherine Citta, a student in the UGA Birth through
Five program, leads Nature Explorers Club, teaching
the Early Learning Center students to use their senses
to explore nature in their schoolyard.
Nature Explorer’s Club is a part of a service
learning course at UGA, titled “Nature as
Teacher.” This course is being co-taught
by Bridget Ratajczak, clinical instructor
in the COE Birth through Five Teacher
Preparation Program, and Anne Shenk,
education director at the State Botanical
Garden of Georgia and adjunct faculty
member with the COE Department of
Mathematics and Science Education.
Ratajczak is also an On-Site Instructor
at CCSD’s Early Learning Center, part
of the Professional Development School
District between the College of Education
and CCSD. Shenk is currently a ServiceLearning Fellow at UGA and has previously
taught a course in which UGA students
ran after-school gardening programs with
elementary school students. However, she
wanted to explore the possibility of serving
a younger audience.
Shenk and Ratajczak were introduced
this past fall by a colleague and began
discussing the possibility of teaching a
service learning course that would bring
an awareness of nature and gardening
to younger children. The Birth through
Five Program, and their partnership with
the Early Learning Center, provided a
perfect opportunity to do that. Shenk and
Ratajczak designed a course that would
instruct UGA students on incorporating
nature and gardening as instructional tools
to teach the Georgia Pre-K standards,
while planting the seeds of environmental
awareness and a lifetime love of and respect
for nature. They coordinated the logistics
with Dr. Shelley Goodman, Director of
the Office of Early Learning at CCSD, and
Greg Hull, CCSD Pre-K Director.
Goodman commented, “Prior to the
Nature Explorer’s Club, children would
tear branches off of the bushes and trees
on the playground. Since they have been
participating in the club, the children
respect the plants and helpful insects.
The Nature Explorer’s Club builds on
children’s natural curiosity about their
environment which helps them with
higher-order thinking skills. They also
have learned to work as a team planting,
weeding, and cultivating the garden. They
are also developing scientific knowledge
and vocabulary. I cannot wait for next
year’s club to begin!”
Nature Explorer’s Club sessions use the
playground at the Early Learning Center
as an exciting outdoor classroom. Eight
raised garden beds were built and installed
on the Early Learning Center’s playground
by Dr. David Berle, horticulture professor
at UGA, and JoHannah Biang, UGArden
farm manager. Cora Keber and Andi
Bisceglia, education staff at the Botanical
Garden, along with Birth through Five
students, Shenk, Ratajczak, and Biang,
filled the beds with compost and soil.
The children are learning many basic
concepts of science, along with a love of
nature and respect for the environment.
Kristen Pauff, a preschool teacher at
the Early Learning Center said, “Nature
Explorer’s Club has helped our children
become a part of their world and witness
things in nature that they would not
normally get to experience.”
Karen Gerow, COE doctoral student in Applied
Cognition and Development in Educational
Psychology, and Bridget Ratajczak, Clinical
Instructor in the Birth through Five Program,
collected over 170 Candy Land and Chutes &
Ladders games this past fall. The venture was
advertised through Facebook, and games were
donated by generous people from the Athens
community and all over the country. Games
were distributed to families at the Office of
Early Learning's Family Literacy and Curriculum
Nights. Research shows that early exposure to
board games significantly improves later math
skill development.
Office of School Engagement Newsletter • Spring 2013
Page 4
Professors-in-Residence Profile:
Kathy Thompson and Gayle Andrews
This article is the third in a series of profiles on Professors-in-Residence at Professional Development Schools.
“We wanted to do this together!” Clinical
Professor Kathy Thompson and Professor
Gayle Andrews explained when asked
about why they wanted to become the
first “Co” Professors-in-Residence (PIR)
at Hilsman Middle School in 2011. Both
Andrews and Thompson were involved in
the College of Education’s Professional
Development School (PDS) work from
the earliest stages of development. Because
they had collaboratively reconceptualized
the COE Middle Grades program together
and co-taught courses since Thompson
started at UGA in 2002, neither could
imagine working in the PDS partnership
without the other as a partner.
“We view our work as collaborative. We
had looped and co-taught two cohorts of
students together, and when the opportunity
for Professor-in-Residence came up, we
were starting with a new cohort, so it was
perfect timing to try something new,”
Thompson explained.
Thompson and Andrews, both COE faculty
in the Department of Educational Theory
and Practice, have shared the PIR position
for two years as part of the Professional
Development School District Partnership
(PDSD) with Clarke County School
District (CCSD). They share a similar
conceptual framework that is focused on
preparing teacher candidates to get to know
the students whom they will be teaching,
including understanding the community
students come from, issues of poverty, and
using service-learning as a teaching tool.
Their students often express to them how
much they benefit from learning within
the Hilsman environment.
Student
teacher Isaac Piha said, “Student teaching
at Hilsman Middle School was the most
meaningful experience I have had in my
college career. The teachers at Hilsman
don’t treat student teachers like college
students, but rather as members of their
team who are expected to participate in
planning and running the school.”
Andrews and Thompson teach 15 class
sessions of their Middle Grades methods
course on-site at Hilsman each semester.
Thirty-eight Middle Grades Education
majors took classes on-site in the fall and
57 this spring. Andrews and Thompson also
supervised 20 practicum students in the fall
and seven student teachers in the spring.
Hilsman principal Dr. Selena Blankenship
and Assistant Principal, Dr. Trey Ezekiel,
Gayle Andrews (left) and Kathy Thompson (right) are
Co-Professors-in-Residence at Hilsman Middle School.
along with the teachers and other staff,
have been extremely supportive of the PDS
partnership. “Drs. Andrew and Thompson
are part of the Hilsman faculty; they are
members of our school improvement
leadership team, and they attend all our
faculty meetings. The relationships they
have developed with Hilsman teachers
create the space for knowledge sharing and
learning to take place. We all benefit from the
PDS partnership: Hilsman teachers, UGA
students, and most importantly, our middle
school students,” Blankenship explained.
“Hilsman feels
like home to
me.”
– Gayle Andrews
“The Hilsman teachers and staff have been
so welcoming and collaborative, and we
could not have built this partnership without
Dr. Blankenship’s support. We work so well
together and see teaching and learning
through similar lenses,” Thompson said.
One benefit for COE students is working
one-on-one with sixth- through eighthgrade students. For example, in preparation
for the school’s Social Studies Fair in
November, the COE students facilitated
Hilsman students’ idea brainstorming,
research-question development, and the
research process. The middle schoolers
presented their projects to more than 100
parents, teachers, and UGA students on
Social Studies Curriculum Night, perhaps a
best-ever turnout for that event.
COE students also appreciate the
opportunity to interact with Hilsman
teachers. They observe in teachers’
classrooms, and teachers give guest lectures
Page 5
Spring 2013 • Office of School Engagement Newsletter
COE Middle Grades Education students take their middle school methods course on site at Hilsman
Middle School, where they benefit from many interactions with students, teachers, and administrators.
related to their areas of expertise. This
spring, COE students held a Differentiated
Learning Centers Fair where they presented
different techniques for differentiating
standards to Hilsman teachers. When
teachers implemented some of these ideas
in their classrooms, Andrews said that her
students were motivated by the fact that
their work had immediate value.
She and Thompson especially enjoy
engaging with middle school students.
“I love being around kids and having the
opportunity to interact with them, and
I wouldn’t have that if I weren’t there,”
Andrews added.
In addition to coordinating many
opportunities for their students to learn
from the Hilsman community, Andrews
and Thompson collaborate with Hilsman
teachers. This year they facilitated
professional learning for a group of teachers
in the form of classroom visits. The idea
behind the project is that teachers identify
questions they have about their teaching
and visit each other’s classrooms with a
focus question in mind, such as, “How can
I establish and maintain a positive learning
environment?” After the visits, the teachers
debrief together. Thompson explained that
the visits have encouraged professional
conversations among the teachers, and
they enjoy the opportunity to learn more
from each other.
“Being at
Thompson and Andrews look forward to
continuing to work as Co-Professors-inResidence at Hilsman long-term. “Hilsman
feels like home to me as an educator and as
a teacher-educator! Every day is different
and has new opportunities. We are always
trying to learn how to be better teachers of
our students and of the Hilsman students,”
Andrews explained.
Hilsman is
invigorating
and makes
coming to work
exciting.”
– Kathy Thompson
Thompson reflected, “We have a lot of fun!
Being at Hilsman is invigorating and makes
coming to work exciting. I always want to
improve on what I’ve done before. I’m
seeing growth in our students, and it makes
me a better teacher. Long term, I hope
that we can create a pipeline of students
from our program becoming teachers at
Hilsman and in Clarke County.”
With the support of Principal Blankenship,
Thompson and Andrews have connected
many other UGA units and programs to
Hilsman beyond the College of Education.
UGA Project FOCUS students now teach
hands-on science lessons, UGA Film and
Theater students work with the Hilsman
improv club after school, and UGA Warnell
School of Forestry plans to install an
aquaponics lab at the school, among many
other projects. They described this part
of the PIR job as serving as the “brokers”
between the school and the university.
Thompson also has a particular passion
for incorporating service-learning into
her teaching (she won the UGA ServiceLearning Teaching Excellence Award this
spring). This semester she co-taught a
UGA course at both Hilsman and Barrow
Elementary called Hunger In Our Schools,
along with COE faculty member Jennifer
James. Together with teams of teachers
and staff, her students examined hunger
issues and surveyed teachers, students,
and parents to understand the scope and
nature of the needs related to food at the
two schools. She views the course as a way
in which the PDS partnership can connect
school, university, and community partners
to address important community needs.
Clearly, both the COE and Hilsman are
greatly benefiting from the AndrewsThompson synergy! If they are any
example, the PDSD may want to explore
the Co-PIR model at other schools.
Page 6
JACK PARISH - continued from page 1
The mission of the Office of Outreach and
Engagement is to provide an extension of COE
resources in the form of professional knowledge
and expertise to the people of Georgia and beyond
to enhance their quality of life. Parish explained
what excites him about this new opportunity as an
administrator in higher education:
“The work in Outreach and Engagement provides
many opportunities to ‘connect the dots’ among the
tremendous resources and talents in the College
of Education with the needs of school districts and
other educational entities throughout the state,
the country, and beyond. I am excited about the
multitude of opportunities to develop partnerships
with audiences outside the College of Education
that share common interests for improving educator
preparation and quality. Also, I look forward to
opportunities for Outreach and Engagement to
be involved in policy development as it relates to
educator preparation,” he said.
Parish oversees all Outreach and Engagement
programs, including the Office of School
Engagement, Conferences and Workshops,
Teacher Quality program, Osher Lifelong Learning
Institute, Educational Technology Center, Georgia
Association of Educational Leaders, Early Career
Principal Residency Program, and the Safe and
Welcoming Schools Program. Outreach and
Engagement also hosts the annual State of Education
in Georgia conference.
Since becoming Associate Dean, he has been very
supportive of the work of the Office of School
Engagement, including becoming a member of
the Professional Development School District
Executive Committee.
“The work of the Office of School Engagement is
exactly what we should be doing in the College of
Education – bridging the worlds of theory and practice
to improve the educational experiences for students
and the professional development of educators. It is my
belief that research should inform practice and practice
should inform research,” Parish explained.
“The Professional Development School District
collaboration between the Clarke County School
District and the UGA College of Education should
become the model for other school districts and
colleges of education in Georgia, nationally, and
internationally for how to improve the quality of
educator preparation while improving learning
experiences for students,” he added.
Parish and his wife, Ashley, live in Athens with their
dog, Sam. He is a lifelong runner who still finds
time to run each day.
Office of School Engagement Newsletter • Spring 2013
Toward Research-Based
Practice: Understanding
Children’s Development
of 21st-Century Skills
Jennifer H. James, COE Associate
Professor in the Department of Educational
Theory and Practice, works with Glennda
Shealey's 3rd grade students at Barrow
Elementary School during "heart" time
where students explore personal inquiry
projects to build 21st-century skills.
How do we prepare our children for full civic participation in a 21st-century
world? What cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal skills will they require?
These are some of the questions Jennifer H. James, COE associate professor in
the Department of Educational Theory and Practice, is hoping to answer in the
context of a two-year study involving a classroom of about 21 students at David
C. Barrow Elementary School, one of the schools involved in the Professional
Development School District partnership between the COE and CCSD.
James, the On-Site Instructor and principal researcher, is collaborating
with Barrow Elementary teacher researchers Glennda Shealey and Rita
Foretich. Shealey teaches third grade, and Foretich teaches art education.
Jessica Kobe and Matt Tyler are serving as research assistants.
“The need to name 21st-century skills, thoughtfully engage teaching toward
their development, and measure the impact of our work is real,” said James.
“Our efforts to address this need will likely benefit not only the students in our
focus classroom, but also other students and teachers throughout the school
and district, offering research-based recommendations for policy and practice.”
The study is funded by a $40,000 grant from the Spencer Foundation. There
are two aims of the research project:
 to develop a theoretical framework and corresponding measures for
capturing and understanding elementary students’ 21st-century skills;
 to identify specific pedagogical methods that foster elementary
students’ 21st- century skill development.
The research team’s framework for 21st-century skill building focuses on
three dimensions of students’ civic learning: cognitive (creative thinking,
meta-cognition, reasoning, and critical thinking), interpersonal (perspective
taking, symbiotic relationship building, and collaboration), and intrapersonal
(self-esteem, self -knowledge, and efficacy).
“We call our framework ‘Head, Heart and Hands’ – a name we adopted so
that we can talk with children about our work,” said James. “The head is
cognitive. What do I know? How do I know it? What do/can I not know?
What does it mean to know? The heart is intrapersonal. Who am I? What
do I care about? What are my strengths? What role do/can I play in my
community? How can I express myself? The hands are interpersonal. Who
are the people in my community? How do I know them? What does it mean
to be in community with others?”
In the process of conceptual refinement, the researchers have worked this year to
develop a variety of qualitative and quantitative measures for capturing students’
understanding across time and space, and to identify effective strategies for
fostering children’s civic growth within the context of the school day.
In 2013-14, James will become a Professor-in-Residence at Barrow
Elementary, as the school transitions from a Model 3 to a Model 4 PDS
school (see article on page 1 for more details).
Spring 2013 • Office of School Engagement Newsletter
PDSD well represented at National
Association of Professional Development
Schools Conference in New Orleans
Joining nearly 1,000 other educators, 12 CCSD teachers and administrators, 12
College of Education faculty, and four College of Education students presented
at the National Association of Professional Development Schools Conference
(NAPDS) in New Orleans, La., this February. All 28 educators are involved in
the Professional Development School District (PDSD) partnership.
COE and CCSD faculty co-presented on topics such as, “How Might
Principals and University Liaisons Work Together to Improve the Experiences
of Students?”, “Eyes Wide Open: Classroom Visits to Address the Excitement
and Challenges of Teaching,” and “Redesigning a Secondary Mathematics
Education Program with Professional Development School Partners.”
“UGA and Clarke County have a close partnership that positively affects
the students and professionals involved. At the NAPDS conference, it was
exciting to see how we are a part of a groundbreaking relationship that gives
students and faculty members so many opportunities,” said Meganne Butler,
a COE student teacher in the Middle Grades Program who presented at the
conference, along with a team from Hilsman Middle School..
Clarke Middle School math teacher Renee Fleming commented, “As
teachers in secondary education, we are consumed with what we experience
in our buildings. It was very enlightening to see all the different models of
PDS happening in the nation and even in our district.”
COE departments represented include the Department of Educational
Theory and Practice, the Department of Mathematics and Science Education,
and the Department of Lifelong Education, Administration, and Policy.
CCSD schools represented include J. J. Harris Elementary Charter School,
Fowler Drive Elementary School, Barrow Elementary School, Clarke Middle
School, Hilsman Middle School, and Clarke Central High School.
NAPDS is a national organization that is dedicated to creating and sustaining
genuine collaborative partnerships between P-12 schools and institutions of
higher education.
One of the presentations at the National Association of Professional Development
Schools Conference in New Orleans was entitled “Redesigning a Secondary Mathematics
Education Program with Professional Development School Partners.” The PDSD team
included, (front row: left to right), Dorothy White (COE faculty), Renee Fleming (Clarke Middle
School teacher), Margaret Trandel (Clarke Central High School teacher) and (back row: left to
right), Anna Conner (COE faculty) and Tad MacMillan (Clarke Middle School principal).
Page 7
Archway Partnership funds
Education Professional focused
on Birth-through-Five issues
Beginning June 1,
Katherine (Katy) Green
will begin working as
an Archway Education
Professional who will
focus on birth-to-five
programs and activities in
Dalton-Whitfield County
As a means to workforce development, community
leaders in Dalton-Whitfield County have committed
to the goal of getting every student reading at grade
level by the third grade. A number of College of
Education initiatives, coordinated by the UGA Archway
Partnership and the Office of School Engagement, are
underway to help the community reach that goal. One
of these initiatives emphasizes the role of early brain
development and literacy, which has led to the creation
of a new faculty position to assist in identifying and
addressing community needs related to parent capacity
and school readiness.
Earlier this spring, the community partnered with the
COE and the Archway Partnership to fund an “Archway
Education Professional” who will focus on birth-to-five
programs and activities in Dalton-Whitfield County.
This position is a public service faculty member with a
joint appointment in the Archway Partnership and the
Department of Communications and Special Education.
Katherine (Katy) Green has been hired for this position
and will be housed in the Greater Dalton Chamber of
Commerce.
Green is a Ph.D. candidate in the Educational Psychology
and Special Education department at Georgia State
University (GSU). Her focus is on early childhood
special education with a cognate in typical and atypical
child development. She earned her bachelor’s and
master’s degrees from the University of West Georgia
and a preschool handicap add-on certificate from GSU.
In addition to her doctoral program, Green has served as
a clinical instructor at GSU since 2009 in the Department
of Early Childhood Education and the Department of
Educational Psychology and Special Education. Prior
to her work at GSU, she was a preschool special needs
teacher and speech-language pathologist in the Paulding
County School System. She also worked in the Carroll
County and Catoosa County school systems as a speechlanguage communications assistant and elementary
Spanish teacher. She begins her work with the DaltonWhitfield Archway Partnership June 1.
Page 8
Office of School Engagement Newsletter • Spring 2013
UGA College of Education
Office of School Engagement
Dr. Janna Dresden, Director
629F Aderhold Hall
Phone: 706-542-8491
E-mail: jdresden@uga.edu
OSE Newsletter Writer and Editor: Erica Gilbertson
Office of School Engagement
The Office of School Engagement (OSE) at
the University of Georgia serves as a bridge
between the worlds of theory and practice
in P-16 public education to improve the
educational experiences of students and the
professional lives of educators.
www.coe.uga.edu/ose
PDSD hosts first PDS Workshop for Georgia educators
Thirty educators from across Georgia participated in the first
annual two-day workshop entitled “Forming Sustainable School,
District & University Partnerships” on January 28-29. The
workshop was presented and planned by leaders of the COE and
Clarke County School District Professional Development School
District (PDSD) partnership and coordinated by the COE Office
of Outreach and Engagement.
Participants represented 10 different colleges and universities
across the state, including Georgia Southern University, Georgia
State University, and Georgia Regents University (formerly
Augusta State). Four school districts were represented, including
a team of four administrators from Cobb County School District
who have PDS relationships with the Kennesaw State University
Bagwell College of Education.
Participants visited eight CCSD schools over the course of
the workshop (five schools per group) where they met with
Professors-in-Residence, COE On-site Instructors, teachers,
principals, and COE student teachers. They learned about the
varied ways schools have implemented PDS work and the positive
impact the partnership has had on COE students and faculty, as
well as on CCSD students and teachers.
Other elements of the workshop included a presentation titled
“Mechanics and Benefits of Sustained Collaboration” led by
Janna Dresden, Director of the Office of School Engagement,
and Noris Price, CCSD Deputy Superintendent. Participants also
heard from a panel of PDSD principals during a dinner program
and had opportunities to network with one another.
Save the Date
PDS workshop participants from across
Georgia shared dinner with CCSD principals
and UGA faculty involved in the Professional
Development School District on January 28.
The 2nd annual UGA and CCSD
Professional Development Schools
Workshop, February 12-13, 2014