Robert F. McNergney
1
Robert F. McNergney
Professor of Education
Curry School
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
(434) 924-0749; rfm@virginia.edu
Education
Ph.D. (education), Syracuse University, 1974; M.Ed. (education), University of Vermont,
1972; B.A. (political science & sociology), University of Nebraska, 1969.
Employment
Professor, Educational Evaluation/Educational Psychology, University of Virginia (1986present ), Senior advisor on research and assessment on Teachers for a New Era grant (Carngie
Corporation, Ford and Annenberg Foundations, 2001-2006); Director of the Commonwealth
Center for the Education of Teachers (research center funded by State of Virginia 1988-1995);
Associate Professor, Director of Teacher Education, and Senior Researcher on the Beginning
Teacher Assistance Proogram (Virginia teacher certification system, 1980-1986);
Assistant/Associate Professor, Director of Clinical Experiences, School of Education, University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis (1975-1980); Assistant Professor, State University of New York,
Potsdam (1974-1975); Teacher, John F. Kennedy Middle School, Winooski, Vermont (19701972); Teacher, Sidney High School, Sidney, Iowa (1969-1970).
SCHOLARSHIP
Selected journal articles
McNergney, R. & Imig, S. (2006, October 26). Challenges of Assessing Value Added to PK-12
Education by Teacher Education. Teachers College Record [On-line]. Available:
http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=12814
McNergney, R.F. (2000). Why technology standards will not affect the use of technology in
teacher education. Preparing teachers to meet the challenge of new standards with new
technologies. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers, 59-67.
Hess, F.M., & McNergney, R.F. (1998, March). Technology trade-offs. electronic school,
A30-A33.
McNergney, R.F. (1994, December). Videocases: A way to foster a global perspective on
multicultural education. Phi Delta Kappan, 76(4), 296-298.
McNergney, R.F., Herbert, J.M., & Ford, R.E. (1994). Cooperation and competition in casebased teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education, 45(5), 339-345.
McNergney, R. (1990, April). Improving communication among educational researchers,
policymakers, and the press. Educational Researcher, 19(3), 20-23.
Knapp, J.L., McNergney, R.F., Herbert, J.M., & York, H.L. (1990, March-April). Should a
master's degree be required of all teachers? Journal of Teacher Education, 41(2), 27-44.
Herbert, J., & McNergney, R. (1989). Evaluating teacher evaluators using a set of public
standards. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, 2(4), 321-333.
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McNergney, R., Mintz, S., Lloyd, J., & Moore, J. (1988, September-October). Training for
pedagogical decision making. Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5), 37-44.
McNergney, R.F., Medley, D.M., & Caldwell, M.S. (1988, May-June). Making and
implementing policy on teacher licensure. Journal of Teacher Education, 39(3), 38-44.
Herbert, J., & McNergney, R. (Fall, 1988). Teachers' planning for and implementation of
evaluation in elementary and secondary classrooms. Journal of Research and Development in
Education, 22(1), 39-46.
McNergney, R., & Haberman, M. (1987, December). Research on teaching: Teaching
aggressive children. Educational Leadership, 45(4), 96.
McNergney, R., & Francis, P. (1986, Spring). Clinical teacher development revisited. Journal
of Curriculum and Supervision, 1(3), 197-204.
McNergney, R., & Haberman, M. (1986, May). Improving student attention. Educational
Leadership, 43(8), 84.
McNergney, R., & Hinson, S. (1985, Fall). Assessing professional decision-making abilities.
Educational Communication and Technology Journal, 33(3), 179-183.
McNergney, R.F. (1984, May). Response to Krathwohl on SIGs. Educational Researcher, 3233.
McNergney, R., & Satterstrom, L. (1984). Teacher characteristics and teacher behaviors.
Contemporary Educational Psychology, 9, 19-24.
McNergney, R., Francis, P., Hinson, S., & Stimpfle, P. (1983). Translating a metatheory of
teacher development into practice. Journal of Teacher Education, 34(5), 53-57.
McNergney, R. F., Medley, D. M., Aylesworth, M. S., & Innes, A. H. (1983). Assessing
teachers' planning abilities. Journal of Educational Research, 77(2), 108-111.
McNergney, R. F. (1980). Responding to teachers as individuals. Theory Into Practice, 19(4),
234-239.
Carrier, C., & McNergney, R. F. (1979). Interaction research: Can it help individualize
instruction? Educational Technology, 19(4), 40-45.
McNergney, R. F. (1978). Investigating the training needs of preservice and inservice teachers
in cooperative teaching centers. Improving Human Performance Quarterly, 7(2), 236-243.
Selected chapters
McNergney, R.F., Regelbrugge, L.A., & Harper, J.P. (1997). Multicultural education in a
global context. In D.M. Byrd & D.J. McIntyre (Eds.) Research on the education of our
nation’s teachers: Teacher education yearbook V. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 7-25.
Cooper, J.M., & McNergney, R.F. (1995). The value of cases in teacher education. In J.M.
Cooper (Ed.), Teachers' problem solving: A casebook of award-winning cases. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon, 1-10.
McNergney, R.F., Herbert, J.M., & Nuttycombe, D.G. (1993). Fitting teacher education to
teachers' needs. In L. Kremer-Hayon, H.C. Vonk, & R. Fessler (Eds.), Teachers' professional
development: A multiple perspective approach. Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger, 253-265.
Clark, D. L., & McNergney, R. F. (1990). Governance of teacher education. In Houston, W. R.,
Haberman, M., & Sikula, J. P. (Eds.), Handbook of research on teacher education. New
York: Macmillan, 101-118.
McNergney, R., Caldwell, M., & Reina, J. (1985). Educating and evaluating beginning teachers
in Virginia. In Alan R. Tom (Ed.), Teacher education in liberal arts settings: Achievements,
realities and challenges (p. 55-61). Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education and American Independent Liberal Arts College for Teacher Education.
Robert F. McNergney
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McNergney, R. F., & Medley, D. M. (1984). Teacher evaluation. In J. Cooper (Ed.),
Developing skills for instructional supervision (pp. 147-148). New York: Longman.
Medley, D. M., & McNergney, R. F. (1984). Program evaluation. In J. Cooper (Ed.),
Developing skills for instructional supervision (pp. 179-206). New York: Longman.
Books
Kent, T.W., & McNergney, R.F. (1999). Will technology really change education? From
blackboard to web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
McNergney, R., Ducharme, E., & Ducharme, M. (Eds.) (1999). Educating for democracy:
Case-method teaching and learning. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.,
Publishers.
McNergney, R., & Keller, C. (Eds.) (1999). Images of mainstreaming: Educating students with
disabilities. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc.
McNergney, R.F., & Herbert, J.M. (1995). Foundations of education: The challenge of
professional practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. (Now in the 5th edition.)
Herbert, J.M., & McNergney, R.F. (Eds.) (1995). Guide to foundations in action videocases:
Teaching and learning in multicultural settings. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
McNergney, R.F. (Ed.) (1992). Education research, policy, and the press: Research as news.
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
McNergney, R. (Ed.) (1988). Guide to classroom teaching. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
McNergney, R.F., & Carrier, C.A. (1981). Teacher development. New York: Macmillan
Publishing Company, Inc.
Selected reviews and essays
McNergney, R. (1982). The tangles and fankles of interaction research. [Review of
Communication and education: Social and psychological interactions]. Contemporary
Education Review, 1(3), 211-213.
McNergney, R. (1982). The effects of computers on children and vice versa. [Review of
Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas]. Curriculum Inquiry, 12(3), 301-303.
McNergney, R., & Crook, P. (1980). [Review of Biting the apple: Accounts of first year
teachers]. Harvard Educational Review, 50(4), 547-550.
McNergney, R. (1979, September). [Review of The scientific basis of the art of teaching].
Educational Researcher, 19-20.
Selected newspaper articles
McNergney, R.F. (1994, October). The case of Will Breckenridge. NEA Today.
McNergney, R. (February 10, 1991). Virginia's 'A' for Effort. The Washington Post, C8.
McNergney, R., & Haberman, M. (1990, May/June). Research clues: Doing good by doing
good. NEA Today, p. 27.
McNergney, R. (1984, January 8). Evaluating teachers: How not to. New York, NY: The New
York Times, section 12, 63.
McNergney, R. (1983, June 8) ...But we did. Washington, DC: The Washington Post, A25.
McNergney, R. (1982, January 3). Where have all the teachers gone? Washington, DC: The
Washington Post, Bookworld, 17.
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Selected editing and reviewing
International editorial consultant for Curriculum and Teaching, Education and Society and New
Education. Journals published by James Nicholas Publishers, Melbourne, Australia.
Guest editor of an issue of Theory Into Practice devoted to teacher development. Columbus: The
Ohio State University, 1980, 19(4).
Reviewer of manuscripts for the Journal of Teacher Education, Educational Researcher, Review
of Educational Research, American Educational Research Journal, Journal of Education for
Teaching, and Journal of Curriculum and Supervision.
Reviewer of paper proposals for Divisions K and A of the American Educational Research
Association.
Reviewer of book manuscripts for Macmillan, Allyn and Bacon, Random House, D.C. Heath
Publishers, Harper-Collins, J.B. Lippincott Company, Scholastic Books, Longman, and
McGraw-Hill.
Selected video production
McNergney, R.F., & Kilbane, C.R. (2000). Project Cuba. Charlottesville, VA: University of
Virginia.
McNergney, R.F., & Herbert, J.M. (1998). The case of Newcomers High School (New York,
New York). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Herbert, J.M., & McNergney, R.F. (1996). The case of Columbus, New Mexico: Educational
life on the border . Washington, D.C.: American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education.
Herbert, J.M., & McNergney, R.F. (1996). The case of Deming, New Mexico: International
public education. Washington, D.C.: American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education.
Herbert, J.M., & McNergney, R.F. (1995). The case of Mary Anne Reed-Brown, teacher of a
multiethnic fifth grade (Arlington, Virginia). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Herbert, J.M., & McNergney, R.F. (1995). The case of Laura Saatzer, third-grade teacher in a
language magnet school (St. Paul, Minnesota). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
McNergney, R.F., & Herbert, J.M. (1995). The case of Hans Christian Anderson, a multicultural
gender fair demonstration school. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
TEACHING
Selected assigned teaching (graduate to undergraduate)
EDIS 885A, Current Research on Teaching and Teacher Education, University of Virginia
Students in this doctoral-level seminar write dissertation proposals intended to investigate
relationships between and among teacher characteristics, teaching behavior, and student
learning. In recent years the course has focused on problems of measuring the value added to
PK-12 learning via the preparation of teachers in support of the Teachers for a New Era grant
funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Ford and Annenberg foundations.
EDLF 843, Evaluation of Teaching, University of Virginia
Robert F. McNergney
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This course presents selected topics in the theory and practice of effective teaching and effective
teacher evaluation. Students are expected to acquire knowledge and skills necessary for: (1)
identifying and helping formulate teaching objectives, (2) observing teachers and/or pupils
utilizing a variety of methods, and (3) presenting teachers with evaluative information based on
observations. Students are encouraged to apply what they learn by analyzing various teaching
situations and speculating about ways to evaluate teaching performance. In addition, some time
is devoted to studying ways of evaluating teachers other than through the use of clinical
observations.
CISy 8102, Curriculum and Instruction Ph.D. Core: Research on Teaching, (with James A.
Mackey), University of Minnesota
Designed to provide an overview of research on teaching this course was a core requirement for
all doctoral students in Curricular and Instructional Systems, Adult Education, and specialty
areas in Secondary and Elementary Education. Classes were devoted to developing an historical
perspective on research on teaching, examining modern empirical procedures and findings, and
speculating about implications of research results for classroom practice and for future
investigation. Although the emphasis of the course was on classroom behavior in the public
schools, research in other instructional settings was considered.
EDES 700, Introduction to Program Evaluation, University of Virginia
As an introduction to program evaluation, this course acquaints students with assessment
concepts which are common to people who are knowledgeable in the area. It is only one course-typically the first--in a series from which students may select, and thus it is also intended as a
prelude to future course work in evaluation. The course introduces students to the types of
problems and projects with which evaluators become involved.
EDIS 589, Contemporary Issues: Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning, University of
Virginia
This Internet-based course was designed at the University of Virginia and first offered as a
capstone experience for students in the five-year teacher education program. It served as the
foundation for a set of three undergraduate and graduate courses that were offered at fifteen
other schools and colleges of education in the United States and Canada and some 20 public
school systems. Course content was delivered in a case-based format via the Internet (WorldWide Web, video conference, discussion groups, and electronic mail), videotape, and print
materials. Students study problems or cases much as students do in business, law, and medicine.
EDLF 589, Writing for Publication, University of Virginia
Class members explore writing for the purpose of publishing their own work. Sessions
concentrate on critical reviews, essays, newspaper articles, textbooks, research reports, and the
like. Some time is spent with guests who share their insights about writing for publication.
Every session devotes attention to students’ own writing.
EDHS 201, Teaching as a Profession, University of Virginia
Students entering the Curry School of Education's five-year program take this course as their
first professional requirement. As an introduction to the foundations of education in the United
States, students explore educational history, philosophy, sociology, law, cultural values, and
professional knowledge.
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FUNDED RESEARCH
Since 1980 I have been either principal or co-principal investigator on funded research projects
from the U.S. Department of Education (Office of Special Education Research & Office of
Higher Education), State Council of Higher Education in Virginia, Virginia Department of
Education, Hitachi Foundation, AT&T/Lucent Foundation, and Spencer Foundation.
SERVICE
Selected National and International Service
Member of Committee on Publications and the Journal of Teacher Education, American
Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 2002-2005.
Writer of technology column for the AACTE Briefs, newsletter of the American Association
of Colleges for Teacher Education, 1997-2000.
Newsletter editor, Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education), American Educational
Research Association, 1994-1998.
Member of Technology Committee, American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education, 1995-present. (Chair, 1999-2000)
Co-chair of program for Division K, section 7, American Educational Research Association,
1998-1999.
Chair of National Task Force on Case-method Teaching, Association of Teacher Educators,
1995-97.
Research Clues columnist for NEA Today, 1986-1990.
Member of Selection Committee for Outstanding Dissertation Award, American Association of
Colleges for Teacher Education, 1989-90.
Co-chair of Program for Division K of the American Educational Research Association's Annual
Meeting, San Francisco, 1989.
Member of Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Relations, American Educational Research
Association, 1989-90.
Secretary of Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education), American Educational Research
Association, 1984-86.
Co-chair of the American Educational Research Association's Special Interest Group on Teacher
Preparation Curriculum and Co-chair of program for the SIG, 1980-84.
Selected University and School Service
Member elected at-large from Curry School to the University of Virginia Faculty Senate (19871992).
Member of University of Virginia Senate Faculty Relations Committee (1987-1992).
Member of Curry School Promotions Committee (1989-91) and Chair (1990).
HONORS
President and Co-founder of CaseNEX, LLC, Charlottesville, Virginia.
Visiting Senior Scholar, French Ministry of Education and the Institut National de Recherche
Pedagogique, Paris, France (spring 2001).
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Appointed chair of the Technology Committee, American Association of Colleges for Teacher
Education, 1999-2000.
Award from Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education) of the American Educational
Research Association for work to help establish Division archives, 1992.
Invited address on teacher development to faculty and students as part of North Carolina State
University's Distinguished Scholars Program, May 11, 1989.
Recognized by the Virginia Educational Research Association for quality research, spring, 1987.
Invited Vice Presidential Address for Division K of the American Educational Research
Association entitled "The Hard Work is in Front of Us." April 22, 1987, Washington, D.C.
(with Thomas Green and Marianne Amarel).
Keynote address at the First Annual Intercollege Teacher Education Convocation at the
Pennsylvania State University, September 29, 1986.
Recognized by The Ohio State University College of Education for outstanding service as a
guest editor of Theory Into Practice, Spring, 1984.
Appointed to serve as the first secretary of Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education) in the
American Educational Research Association (1984-1986).